Policing at the campuses of higher education institutions has existed for over a hundred years. The first U.S. “campus police officers” were commissioned in 1894 at Yale University in Connecticut. As of 2005, 87 percent of public higher education institutions reported having sworn officers on campus.

As a student in the 1980s, the author’s first college experience occurred on the same regional university campus he serves today. The university employed academy-certified police officers, and they worked in what was initially named the Department of Security; since those days, much has changed for Mississippi’s Delta State University and campuses everywhere. When tragedy struck the Virginia Tech campus in 2007, the spotlight on policing at colleges and universities had never been more intense. Today, recent events, such as responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, put campus police officers at risk and further exacerbated the already dwindling recruitment and retention efforts affecting all police agencies. So, how do agencies build relationships while fostering better recruiting on campus to benefit all policing?

After years of institutions modeling campus departments after their city counterparts, higher education policing looks very similar to municipal policing. The uniqueness of these departments begins with being embedded inside the institution. In most cases, officers are institutional employees and receive a wide range of benefits, including reduced or free tuition. They participate in on-campus events as part of the institutional family—on and off duty. The unique relationship of this employment creates an incubator for some of the best ideas in community policing. Building trust during these encounters and hiring proactive, educated officers benefit the institution’s safety. It also lays the foundation for fostering collaboration and meaningful relationships between cops, students, and employees. Using the mascot or student government in public safety announcements, hosting cotton candy or coffee with the cops events, addressing the transparency responsibilities under the Jeanine Clery Act, and protecting victims under Title IX with collaborative multidisciplinary efforts, the Delta State University officers bring policing and education together. The responsibility to foster positive relationships and overcome negative interactions during enforcement activities have most police chiefs putting on their thinking caps daily. Formulating strategies in collaboration with on-campus partners, officers can dine within the cafeteria, stand in line for coffee or smoothies, and