Our Public Safety personnel are getting help watching over the campuses with the help of Criminal Justice students. With the help of financial aid work-study, students have the opportunity to work with Public Safety to get experience in the field of criminal justice.

For over 20 years students have been protecting where they learn. Lt. Jennifer Shevey, who is in charge of this program, has been part of MATC since 1986.

She recently established that you have to be in the criminal justice field to be a part of the program.

“Currently, we have six students throughout all MATC campuses on duty and (we) are in the process of having more,” Shevey said.

Students are under the supervision of Public Safety personnel. “The students are given vests and two-way radios with 24-hour contact with the main switch board,” said Shevey. She also mentioned that the students benefit from this experience in more than one way.

They come into the position with zero experience, so they gain experience to put on their résumés. They also are the eyes and ears of the college that they are attending.

The officers under whom the students work are either the security officers or are qualified as law enforcement officers. The Public Safety officers who wear brown are security; the officers wearing black have a degree in criminal justice and have attended the police academy, making them qualified as police officers.