Prettyman named as new police chief

This archived article was written by: Laura Strate

After eight years as second in command in the CEU Campus Police Department, Officer James Prettyman has been appointed the new chief. Chief Prettyman hopes to make a few changes to the existing operations of the department.
Prettyman has inaugerated a five-year plan in which he intends to expand the police force from one fulltime officer to three; the parttime officers will be stabled at four. Prettyman is also establishing an internship program which would allow a student “who comes here to become part of the criminal justice system, thus allowing a student who has aspirations in law enforcement to get his feet wet right here at CEU.”
The internship program will allow an intern to become certified by Peace Officers standards and to work for the CEU police for six months to a year. To be an intern, a student must pursue an appropriate associates degree, such as one in criminal justice. An intern would have the opportunity of being trained and prepared to apply for a larger police academy.
Prettyman compared CEU with its 3,500 students and faculty to a small city with its attendant problems. On any given day, an officer may face car wrecks, thiefs, or alchohol violations. Although the crime rates vary from year to year, Prettyman observed that “99 percent of the students and faculty are upstanding, honest citizens. It’s that one percent that we have to deal with, and in life, it’s that one percent that people notice cause the problems.”
Prettyman observed that CEU’s crime rates were lower this year than other universities, and he credits this to a strong working relationship between the student body and the campus police. He stated that officers work to befriend and associate with the students. “I look at my position more as a dad to these students while their parents are away, than just a police officer. That is really my job and that is what I do. That’s what I’m here for.”