Ole Miss PD drafting temp officers for gameday roster
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Before the Rebels take the field, or the first touchdown, police officers and sheriff’s deputies from various agencies are on patrol.
‘We can’t do it alone,” said Capt. Jesse Richards, of the University of Mississippi Police Department.
Every home game, anywhere from sixty to eighty temp officers are on the gameday roster for the Ole Miss PD. Captain Richards says the temp officers play a vital role on gameday, whether it’s inside the stadium, at The Grove, or helping direct traffic pre- and post-game.
“Our campus is vast, and the game day experience is outside of the stadium itself; it is not just the football game. A lot of people watch the football game in The Grove, which is an event unto itself. We will have up to 50,000 people in The Grove, so we are doing foot patrols, just to ensure that people are safe,” Capt. Richards said.
Temp officers can eject people from the stadium or the campus, and they also have arrest powers. There are also a lot of opportunities to help people.
‘We try and assist any way we can, our goal is for that fan, visitor to say, “I had a great experience at Ole Miss and officers there were very helpful.’ So, as you said, if that is giving someone a bandage, or finding them a ride on a golf cart, or even helping them locate their vehicle. But more importantly, just the communication, we want to greet people with a smile, have that conversation, let it be friendly,” Richards said.
Temp officers also ensure that the officers on the regular patrol shift are free to answer calls for service.
‘We still have our regular patrol officers on shift. Their responsibility is those exterior things and exterior problems. They can’t really get to the Grove, due to the volume of pedestrians, that is why we rely on abundance of temp officers to assist us,” he said.
Applications are being taken now for game day officers. Along with the application process, every temp officer is required to attend one of two orientation sessions this summer. Then they will be ready for the first home game, September 6.
Any full or part time officer can apply for the temp positions, and retired officers are eligible, as long as an agency holds their certification. Temp officers are paid $30 an hour.
For information on how to apply, email chadams@olemiss.edu or call 662-915-7234.
