The Ohio Union is known as a place for students to gather, study or relax, and the Office of Student Life wants to make sure it is a safe place to do all those things.
That is why the University Police Division was one of the main proponents to put a new university police substation into the Union, said Adam Tabor, an Ohio State Police officer.
The station is located inside the Department of Public Safety office at the Union’s loading dock and is open from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week.
It is staffed by two University Police officers. However, they might not always be present because the office serves mainly as a resource center where they can write reports, meet with students and do other administrative tasks. Usually, the officers on duty are out patrolling the South Campus area near High Street, Tabor said.
If students want to reach a Union officer, they need to call the main dispatch number and ask to be connected with one, he said.
Many students feel that having officers patrolling the specific area around the Union is a big improvement from the old Union.
“I didn’t know there was a police station in the Union, but I think that’s a good thing, especially with the late hours,” said Marisa Kress, a fourth-year in social work.
Tabor said that the focus in the new Union is on safety.
“A lot of students did feel unsafe in the old Union. That was one of the big complaints,” Tabor said. “The main theme with this new building is safety.”
Because the station was opened in the first week of March, officers have only taken one criminal report, Tabor said.
“This is pretty low,” he said, “and we are attributing this to the fact that we are giving the area extra attention.”
