MSU Police evolving to better engage with the campus and community

<p>As the chief continues to reorganize the department, today we’re focusing on the Police Services Bureau. We have with us today Captain Sherief Fadley. He leads the Patrol Division inside the Police Services Bureau. And Captain Dan Munford oversees the Community Engagement Unit.</p><p>“The Community Engagement Unit is a team comprised of four sergeants and me,” says Munford. “We're spread out throughout the different neighborhoods on campus, and our goal is just to reach out and be a contact and liaison for our students, faculty and staff within the residential neighborhoods.”</p><p>“I'm entrusted by the VP to run our Patrol Division, our K-9 Unit, and our IRSRT, which is our tactical team,” says Fadley. “Our Patrol Division is a fully functional; we're a police service. We're vested with the authority as police officers sworn in the state of Michigan. We also are deputized in Ingham County because we have property all over Ingham County, and sometimes we're called for mutual aid assists. We have a 24/7 365-day operation. We provide police services to the community ranging from anything from bike larcenies to domestics, narcotics calls, drug calls, and active shooters if there's that type of call. We respond essentially from mild to wild, Russ.”</p><p>And Chief, why did you reorganize in this way?</p><p>“It’s about evolving to meet the needs of the campus and how we engage with our community,” says Lynch. “It’s having a specific unit that spends time engaging with the housing staff and with the student affairs staff on a regular basis as often as possible.</p><p>“A good example is Dan's office is in the main library. These offices have existed for years within various buildings within the campus. It’s a philosophy of continuous engagement. It's trying to be proactive with the comfort level with our community and how they become more comfortable with us and the roles that we play, specifically from a community engagement piece. And that will continue to evolve.</p><p>“We also looked at what types of cal