UAM Public Safety Prepared to Help Other Agencies

Around Campus Editor

Photo by Nick Johnson

Director of Public Safety John Kidwell

      MONTICELLO - University of Arkansas-Monticello's Public Safety officers protect the campus on a daily basis. 

   Public safety goes through the same training as Monticello Police Department. They receive training at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy. 

   Officer John Kidwell, director of Public Safety, explained how the officers train for such an event like last month’s shootings at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

   "UAM is probably one of the first university's in Arkansas to start what is called active shooter training," Kidwell said. "We've done this training for 9 years. It's just a training we do over all the campus. Officers are trained to respond to different emergencies and one of those being active shooter."

   In addition to their training, Public Safety also works with other agencies such as the Monticello Police and the Drew County Sheriffs. 

   Kidwell said Public Safety is sometimes called out by other agencies to assist in emergencies. Bigger cities like Little Rock and Texarkana may not depend on other agencies like public safety, but it’s not unusual for UAM Public Safety to get a call from law enforcement agencies in Drew County.

   "Public Safety goes through the same training as us, we work well with them and they work well with us. So it works out well," said Captain Eddy Deaton of the Monticello Police Department. 

   Others who have wanted to become public safety officers started off as office workers, student tickets writers or have been in the auxiliary program. The trainees who have successfully completed the training went on to full time positions as officers. They have at least a year of training.

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