Jim West granted law enforcement authority

A second protective services officer at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been granted law enforcement authority by Chancellor Thomas F. George.

Jim West, a 26-year veteran at UWSP, joins Don Burling, chief of Police and Security, who was given the designation in 1997. West was authorized after completing extensive training, certification and testing in the field including courses in dealing with sexual assaults, criminal investigations and interviewing.

West began his career as a radio dispatcher while attending UWSP as a student in the early 1970s. He received a bachelor's degree in psychology from UWSP in 1975.

He has spent the past seven years as the department's investigator after several prior years as a lead officer both on the night and daytime shifts.

Law enforcement authority permits protective services officers to share information with other agencies. In the past, according to the officers, investigations of crimes may have been hampered by not having access to certain records and information about crimes perpetrated against students off campus. University officers can now make arrests and issue citations. They also are trained in crime prevention techniques.

Although UWSP and its surrounding community have been recognized nationally as unlikely places for crimes to take place, West says that some acts such as personality conflicts between individuals and computer crimes are becoming more prevalent. He says the department of four full-time officers and several student dispatchers and patrol members is dedicated to community policing which aims to help people rather than aggressively making arrests.

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