I went on a ride along with a DUPD officer

The Duke University Police Department offers around-the-clock law enforcement to Duke University and select off campus areas.

Their website says their “goal is to provide a safe and sector environment in which to learn, grow and enjoy your Duke experience.”

Their waiting room even boosts a sign stating, “There are no strangers here, only friends we haven’t met yet.”

Despite this, DUPD’s methods remain a mystery to many. The Tab asked a handful of students what they thought DUPD’s role was on campus and no one seemed to have a clear idea.

“Honestly, I never deal with them and never see them unless they are at open parties at the door,” said senior Seth Johnson.

“I never see them around and don’t really hear about them being proactive, just reactive.”

Junior Guilbert Francois echoed this sentiment: “I typically only see them when there is a party. I’m not really sure what they do day to day to be honest.”

Senior Joanna Kuang noted that DUPD has done a good job being visible but she still does not know what they do:

“At night, I’ve seen them near the West Campus bust stop, which I definitely appreciate. Sometimes I see them biking around off east or in their cars on central, but I’m not really sure what they do everyday,” she said.

The Tab sat down with Chief of Police John Dailey and participated in a Friday-night ride along with an officer to clear things up.

The most important thing to know is that not everyone in a blue and white car or a green vest is a police officer. In addition to 170 authorized officers, the department also employs in-house security guards and contract security guards who have fewer responsibilities than the trained policemen.

Chief Dailey explained that the benefit of collaborating with an outside security company is that it gives the department the ability to increase numbers quickly.

“So if there is an incident of concern and we want more staff that night we can do that through the contract companies.”

He added that hiring police officers is a lengthy process. All DUPD police officers are commissioned by the state and go through training side by side with state and city police officers. DUPD’s authority does not expire beyond Duke’s walls. The department shares jurisdiction over the city of Durham with Durham Police.

The men and women that students often see at the bus stops at night are contract security guards from Allied Barton. These guards are not armed and do not have access to most buildings on campus. They function as extra eyes and ears for DUPD and serve as a deterrent.

As for the full fledged police officers? There is no typical day, and that’s what Chief Dailey says draws a lot of people to work for the department. Officers respond to concerns ranging from fire alarms in the hospital, to suspicious propped-open doors to stolen cell phones, to creepy ex-boyfriends.

The Tab got to experience this first hand when we joined Officer Enrique Ramirez on his shift Friday night from 10pm-3am.

The first call of the night brought us off campus to a dark intersection where a baby deer was hit by a car and blocking traffic.

The fawn was laying on its side and breathing heavily when we got arrived at the scene. Hesitant to get to close to the deer, much less try to move it, due to the fact it was a wild animal, Officer Ramirez went to the other side of the intersection and started directing traffic around the deer.

A call to headquarters indicated that Durham County Animal Services was not going to help handle the situation, so he called the Durham County Police. A full 30 minutes later, Durham officers arrived and asked for authorization to euthanize (read “shoot”) the fawn.

As if the baby deer could understand what was going around him, he threw his legs into the air and rolled over. After a few minutes of recuperation, he (or she) tried to stand up and tripped down the hill. One last attempt sent him running into the woods.

We got back in the car relieved, and I knew it was going to be a long night.

Standard duties of DUPD officers on the night shift include patrolling areas around campus and the hospital and conducting property checks to make sure buildings are secure. Over our five hour period together, Officer Ramirez made four traffic stops that ended with only verbal warnings (make sure you turn your lights on at night!).

One distinction Officer Ramirez made between security guards and the state commissioned officers is that guards are concerned with university policies while officers are only concerned with the law. For example, security guards can give out tickets in university parking lots (and fire lanes), but only officers can write tickets for moving violations like speeding.

Before an officer can initiate a traffic stop, he or she has to give headquarters a lot of information about his location and the car being pulled over. Once headquarters says OK, the body camera and microphone attached to the officer are activated and he or she can approach the car.

After each traffic stop officer Ramirez filled out a “Racial Profiling form” that recorded data on the age and ethnicity of the person being pulled over to be analyzed later.

The saddest part of the night (considering the deer managed to get away) was responding to the alcohol related EMS calls. During the ride along Officer Ramirez responded to two, and overheard more on the radio that other officers on shift responded to.

He assisted the EMS team in clearing the area, then collected identification information about the student. Disciplinary action related to alcohol-use is usually relegated to Student Conduct after that point.

DUPD is committed to upholding the law, but the department prioritizes student safety. “If we start writing people up for every alcohol violation, people are going to stop calling when they need help,” Ramirez said.

“We are certainly more sensitive to risker behavior that students are engaged in Wednesday through Saturday nights,” said Chief Dailey.

“And that’s why for instance we’ve tried to put security officers out in strategic places like at Main and Buchanan for students walking back from the Brightleaf area so there’s a presence there if they need help.”

All in all, although students may not be sure what exactly DUPD does, the DUPD is watching, and their presence is very much appreciated.