Michigan Tech’s Public Safety is a department that sets a high bar for other university’s law enforcement agencies. “Our goal is to get students through school with a degree, not a criminal record,” said Brian Cadwell, the director and chief of police at Michigan Tech in an interview with The Lode. Public Safety certainly holds to that principle. As a firm practitioner of Michigan’s Good Samaritan Law, MTU officers are trained to serve the public first. Annually, Public Safety answers 2,500 calls and serves the community 24/7, offering services from safe escorts, criminal investigations, and EMS to security and motorist assistance. Public Safety also does what they can to keep the public prepared, offering self-defense courses and crime prevention presentations. Chief Cadwell reminds MTU that, “We are a service agency, and we are here to help.”
Licensed and deputized by the county, Public Safety’s officers are certified by the state of Michigan and often assist surrounding agencies, most notably the Houghton County Police Department. They also train annually alongside local law enforcement forming a well-oiled machine ready and prepared to serve the people. Public Safety trains hard and for a variety of situations, such as emergency response, major event, and active shooter drills.
Public Safety is working to acquire a security dog within the year, trained in part to be a comfort animal for traumatic instances. Additionally, they hope to become an accredited agency within the next two years, striving to uphold the most current policies and best practices.
For more resources, including a list of campus safety tips, visit mtu.edu/publicsafety.
