The Triangle

Issue date: 7/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: McDonald, Ian Drexel Public Safety is looking to hire a Director of Police Operations to head the campus police force that Drexel is developing. Drexel will develop a sworn force with the same authority as city police officers.

The Drexel University Department of Public Safety is in the process of interviewing candidates for the newly created position of director of Police Operations. The candidate chosen for this post will serve as the head of the campus police force that Drexel is currently developing.

The director's responsibilities will include helping to hire other members of the campus police force, according to Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president for Public Safety. Ceccanecchio will also help in this hiring process.

Ceccanecchio said the "time was right" for the implementation of a campus police force due to the growth of the University.

34 candidates applied for the director position, according to Ceccanecchio, who said he was pleased with the number of applications.

"We got a pretty good cross-section of people who applied for the position, given the requirements that we listed for it," Ceccanecchio said.

Public Safety is looking for a candidate who shows leadership capabilities, is in tune with the needs of the University community, and understands the nuances of policing in a municipal and campus environment, according to Ceccanecchio. The candidate also should understand the need for diversity and have command experience in law enforcement, Ceccanecchio said.

Ceccanecchio said the candidates will meet with faculty and student groups, and the feedback from these groups will be part of the decision-making process. Public Safety is currently working with the Undergraduate Student Government Association to organize a meet and greet with the candidates, according to Ceccanecchio.

USGA will have representatives interview several of the candidates, according to Kristen Smith, a junior majoring in biomedical engineering, and the president of USGA.

In addition, Drexel students involved with the Public Safety advisory committee have been asked to have a representative ask questions to the candidates.

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