SUPD Chief Morris gives keynote address

Michael Morris, chief of the Southern University Police Department, was the keynote speaker for the Louisiana State Police Basic Academy graduation held Thursday, March 20. Included in the graduation class were some of Southern’s newly hired police officers.
“At graduation, I spoke to the graduates about the importance of integrity, personal character and a high moral value,” said Morris.
In addition, “If you are a police officer and you do not love your fellow man, then you do not want to be a good police officer. In the Bible, I Corinthians 13, the chapter on love, gives an example of what a good police officer is,” Morris added.
The police chief said seven of the graduates became members of the SUPD because the university is expanding; therefore, the number of areas that need patrolling are also increasing.
“I think that the addition of the new officers is a good idea, because seeing the police around campus makes our campus look safer,” said Jeremiah Creer, a sophomore electrical engineering major from New Orleans.
Morris said the new officers have completed the Field Officers Training Program and have been working at Southern since the 2007 football season as part of their training. Additional training will include an apprenticeship and evaluation period for the next six months. During this time, the new officers will be paired with more experienced Southern police officers, said Morris.
Officers were not available to speak to the media due to Morris’ policy.
“It feels good to know that the police are doing what they can to make sure that the students at Southern feel safe on campus,” said freshman Belinda Stansbury, a sociology major from New Orleans.
“The geography of the campus is constantly changing with the addition of the apartments in the back. Eventually all the students will live in the back of campus, and it will be easier to protect the students,” said Morris.
Also to keep students, faculty and staff safe, SUPD has implemented the FirstCall emergency notification system. In addition to the system, Morris often receives updates on areas of the campus where safety could be improved that range from lights that need to be fixed to suspicious people attempting to come on campus.
“I think it’s great how the SUPD is making sure that the security on campus is up to date,” said Adam Powell, a junior mass communications major from Indianapolis, Ind.