On March 28, I went into the Boston University Police Department for questioning. However, I was the one doing the questioning.
That evening, the BUPD had an open house – its second such event in the last two weeks – in an attempt to improve its relations with the student body. There was free pizza and BUPD t-shirts handed out at the event. Visitors were given a tour of the station and even had the chance to have their mug shot taken.
“The motivation is to have a laid-back atmosphere to get to meet the students, get to know them a little bit,” said Scott Parem, the Deputy Chief of Police at BUPD.
When asked what he wanted the BUPD’s relationship with the student body to be, Parem responded by saying that he “wants the students to be comfortable reaching out to the police officers… I want them to know that we are approachable.”
Offering free pizza sure sounds like a great way to make students more comfortable with police. Visitors had the chance to speak with police officers who were all very friendly and talkative. Also, judging by the way they spoke, it seemed that a heavy Boston accent is a prerequisite for becoming a member of the Bah-ston University Police Dep-aht-ment.
For anyone who thinks that the BUPD is just some university police department that likes to arrest drunken college kids, think again.
The Boston University Police Department has recently become State Accredited by the Massachusetts State Department, which means that they “meet or exceed all municipal police standards that are set by the state.” They haven’t stopped there, though. The BUPD is now hoping to become a Nationally Accredited police department. They are currently six months into the process to fulfill that goal.
National Accreditation process means setting high standards, and that is exactly what the Boston University Police Department has done. The BUPD is dedicated to the safety of Boston University students. They want to ensure students that the BUPD is, in fact, there to help them with whatever they may need.
Deputy Chief Parem promises this. “We would do anything for the students here. We want them to know that we are approachable; we are not the bad guys. We are not here to make their lives miserable. We are here to make their experiences here at BU very positive.”
They have certainly done a tremendous job in making my Wednesday evening very positive.
The Boston University Police Department is located at 32 Harry Agganis Way, across the street from StuVi 2. You can like the BUPD on Facebook at facebook.com/bupolice and you can follow the BUPD on Twitter at @BUPolice.
