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Ohio University Police Unveils New Badges
< < Back to ohio-university-police-unveils-new-badgesTwenty-five officers and OUPD staff members were recognized Thursday night at the Ohio University Police Department's first badge pinning and employee recognition ceremony.
Chief Andrew Powers unveiled a new badge design for all OUPD officers which he said took about two years to make.
"Our old badge was sort of a generic badge and it really didn't capture the themes or traditions of Ohio University," Powers said, "So the new badge that we designed with University Communications and Marketing of course features Cutler Hall and thereby makes it unique to our community and special to us."
New artwork honoring the OUPD was also unveiled and presented to OU Vice President Ryan Lombardi. The artwork will soon be publicly displayed in the Baker Center. Special framed copies of the artwork signed by every staff member and officer of OUPD was given to the night's special guests
The Keynote Speaker for the event was John Born, Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and an OU alum.
He emphasized the important role university police departments have in education.
"It's very difficult to concentrate if you don't think you're in a safe area. And that general, safe feeling is translated to reality by university police departments," Born said. "So the fact that they designed a badge to symbolize what they do on a daily basis – protecting and serving – I think it's perfect."
Officers were presented the new badges by their loved ones.
Powers hopes to make this an annual event so the department can come together during the good times, instead of just the bad.
"We don't do such a good job celebrating the victories and the accomplishments and so that's what tonight really was about was celebrating the officers and their families. And we do know each others families, we do know each others kids. And tonight was an opportunity for us to get together and celebrate that," Powers said.