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The Dartmouth
June 28, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

S&S officers lack the training of officers in blue

Those green-and-white uniforms aren't the only trait that distinguishes Safety and Security officers from the blue of the New York Police Department.

Although Dartmouth's Safety and Security officers are charged with the protection of the College's student population and the enforcement of College rules and policies, they are not police officers. They are trained specifically for their duties through a Dartmouth-specific program, a process comparable to those of similar colleges.

Like the officers at many colleges located in small towns with small student populations, Safety and Security officers do not have the power of arrest. Because of this, they are not required to go through the same kind of testing and training as state police officers or campus police officers who can make arrests.

In order to become a Safety and Security officer at Dartmouth, a person must have a high-school diploma and be certified in CPR and first aid, according to Mark Lancaster, Sergeant Supervisor for Safety and Security. A background in security is not required, but a clean criminal record and good personal references are. These requirements are similar to those at most colleges and police departments.

In addition to these requirements, many schools also require physical and psychological examinations of potential officers, which is the process that most police departments use, including the Hanover Police. Safety and Security does not require such tests, according to Lancaster.

Dartmouth alumni are also members of Safety and Security's patrol force.

Most applicants to any kind of security position, whether campus officer or state police, must undergo a background check before being approved. Because Safety and Security is a private organization, its background check is not as extensive as that of a police department.

Chief Nick Giaccone of the Hanover Police said he tells prospective officers that "their life is an open book and they should have no expectations of privacy."

At Dartmouth, however, the background check on an applicant will vary depending on the position, according to Linda Barton, Director of Employment and Employee Services at the Department of Human Resources, which works with Safety and Security in the hiring process. Often Safety and Security requires only a criminal check and driver credentials instead of the extensive check required by police departments.

"There's a lot of flexibility around this process at Dartmouth," Barton said.

Once being accepted for a position, officers at campus security departments and police departments must go through training. Dartmouth's Safety and Security officers attend a week-long program at a police academy specifically designed for college security officers.

According to Lancaster, over 20 different colleges send their officers through this academy, which consists of intensive basic training for 12 to 14 hours per day.

"It covers everything from constitutional law to drugs, sexual assault and fire safety," Lancaster said.

Colleges that have campus police departments send their officers through a longer training process. Amherst College Chief of Police John Carter said that Amherst police officers must go through a 16-week training program at a state police academy.

"They are sworn officers with the state of Massachusetts and have the power of arrest," Carter said.

Jim Collins, acting captain of the Public Safety Department at Princeton University, said that Princeton's campus police must undergo an 18-week training period at a police academy before starting work.

Campus officers also take part in on-the-job training. New Safety and Security officers are given an operations manual and the Student Handbook before starting work, said Lancaster, so that they are "fully aware of the rules of the College," he said. They spend the first few months of work shadowing senior officers and watching how they handle different situations.

New officers observe until they feel comfortable patrolling alone. "For some it takes three months, for some, longer," Lancaster said.