By The University Police Department opened a new Community Engagement Center on Sept. 30 on upper campus.
The new office, located next to the Amazon store adjacent to parking lot E10, will primarily be dedicated to providing students and staff a place to connect with the UPD. Previously, the only location available was the main station near the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
“We want people to feel welcome, and we want them to know that as police we are here for them,” Community Engagement Officer Corina Washington said. “It’s our job to help people in the most difficult of times.”
The new location will offer a variety of services for students and staff, such as safety escorts, providing U-locks for bicycles and information on available self-defense classes. All these services and more were previously offered at the main station, but the new office allows for an additional location to access them.
When asked, many students responded positively about the new engagement center.
“People within their majors are often confined in upper or lower campus,” Leeaneli Juarez, a third-year psychology major said. “People having more access is a good thing.”
Those who have visited the main station may have seen the need for additional space. The entrance way is crowded with fixed seating, and walking in to speak with an officer can be a crowded event depending on the day.
The department has taken previous strides to assist with this. They implemented a “soft interview room” with comfortable couches and white noise boxes, allowing students and faculty a warmer and private environment to speak with an officer.
The new engagement center is another step towards what UPD Chief John Brockie described as “Community Oriented Policing” in a recent meeting with contributors of the Long Beach Current.
This is a philosophy held by the UPD, which provides an additional focus on community engagement. It encourages improvements like the soft interview room and the new engagement center.
Both locations offer assistance from Community Service Officers, who are trained student workers that assist campus officers in certain duties.
Oscar Patino has been a CSO for over a year and is currently a Field Training Officer looking to graduate after this semester.
“Even if it is something small, every call is important to us with student safety,” Patino said.
Students and staff are encouraged to stop by the new engagement center and find out more about the services available.
