Kevin Leiker is a campus police officer at Butler Community College and has been here for almost two years. His primary responsibilities as a campus police officer are safety, security of the students and faculty. They build personal relationships with everybody on campus, according to Leiker.
Police Chief Glendell Henderson adds that Leiker is a greater asset than what he gives himself credit for.
At the beginning of Leiker’s shift, his day starts by calling dispatch to let them know he is on campus. He gathers his equipment such as his camera and looks at his work emails. Then, Leiker scopes out each building to inspect what is going on before moving on to the cafeteria located in the Student Union on the El Dorado campus. While at the cafeteria, Leiker makes sure that the students keep themselves out of trouble.
“Basically, (it) gives me another opportunity to interact with students and faculty,” Leiker said. “And a lot of times, the president (Kim Krull) comes in, the vice president (Barry Robinson), different people in facilities and we just say hi and talk to him after that, then I go, usually get in the car and drive around the campus. And we have exterior buildings like the Ag, Fire Science and the B.G. Stadium. Those are our beats, too. We just kind of drive around and make sure everything's ok. And again, because we have an opportunity to connect with the people that are in that area."
Following his shift at the cafeteria, Leiker returns to the 1600 building on the El Dorado campus, which is where the campus police are located, to start his paperwork. There, he catches up, answers calls that he gets such as dispatch and if there are health or wellness checks, Leiker goes out to investigate. Before the end of his day, sometimes the campus police meet, although it depends on the day.
It isn’t just the campus; for them, such as Leiker, it’s about being a part of the community.
To become a campus police officer, there is detailed training following the application process that involves a background check, an interview and medical check. After this, they had an FTO (Field Training Officer) program and 14 weeks at the academy, although this usually extends to 15 weeks.
“And that's firearms training EVOC, which is emergency vehicle operation scenarios and tests and physical ability tests and everything,” Leiker said. “Then once we get past all that, we come back to everything we have. We finished up our SEO program and cut loose.”
“The training that he (Leiker) referred to is called KDC,” Henderson said. “Every law enforcement officer in the state of Kansas has to be certified and complete this training with a 70% or greater. You cannot be a law enforcement officer in the state of Kansas if you do not right away. It's a state certification thing.”
Leiker offers advice to anyone who wants to pursue a career in being a campus police officer. He says to spend a day with them and research the career path before jumping into something.
“I think it's more rewarding for people, and it changes your life as well,” Leiker said.