For the last year and a half, the Student Security Assistant program has been bridging the gap between the University of Oregon Police Department and the student body.

There are 11 students currently employed through the program. The program’s head, James Stegall, said that the job offers a glimpse into working with law enforcement. 

“We’ve only opened up for applications twice and the response has been overwhelming. We can only keep it open for a few days,” Stegall said.

Here’s what it’s like to work for the UOPD, from the students that unlock the doors to your evening classes and come to the rescue when you’ve locked yourself out of a building on a Saturday. 

Name: Sandra Benny 

Year: Senior 

Major: Family and Human Services 

What’s your favorite part of the job? 

“My favorite part is probably patrolling. Once we lock-up, it’s up to us (security assistants do their shifts in pairs) where we want to go, as long as we stay on campus. We act as an eye for police officers.” 

What do you tend to see a lot of while out on patrol? 

“We see a lot of transients, homeless people in buildings and have to ask them to leave. It’s usually in buildings on the edge of campus, like PLC (Prince Lucien Campbell Hall) and Villard Hall.” 

What sorts of challenges do you face in your jobs? 

“Having to decide whether or not to call in an incident or not. For example, if someone is too intoxicated but you also don’t want to ruin someone’s day. I use my best judgement. It’s really about their safety.” 

How do people respond when you tell them you work for the UOPD? 

“They’re like, ‘what?’ They’re definitely shocked because I think a lot of people don’t really know about the program, (or) they tend to see us as an authoritative figure. But we’re just there to help.”

Name: Cody Linklater 

Year: Senior

Major: English and Japanese 

What would people be the most surprised to hear about your job? 

“We’re not segregated from the rest of the police force at all. We get to work alongside sworn police officers, and it’s very team oriented. By nature, police departments are like a brother or sisterhood. Everyone has each other’s back, and it’s good to be a part of a team that has your best interests.” 

Have you been able to call in anything big while out on patrol? 

“In September, before school started, I was doing my lock-up routine on patrol when I saw someone leaving Lawrence Hall, in the middle of the day, carrying something that looked like a covered up computer monitor. That made me suspicious, because when the university transports equipment it’s usually not concealed. So I followed and eventually stopped him. It turned out he was someone known to the UOPD. He was taken to jail and convicted of theft in the third degree.” 

What did he end up stealing? 

“It was a projector. Locking up buildings is great and it’s often overlooked because the buildings we oversee have millions of dollars of equipment in them.” 

What’s the funniest thing you’ve come across? 

“I was on patrol once, and I saw a raccoon dive into a trashcan. I went to spook the raccoon, and it came out with a hamburger in its mouth. Then it chucked the wrapper from the burger and ran off into some trees.”