Not too long ago, Bill Ritmiller was a lieutenant with the Baltimore City Police Department. Today he is sitting next to a rack of orange traffic vests, checking his JHU e-mail before his shift begins.
"Normally, we were the bad guys," says Ritmiller. "Here, people actually wave and say hello."
Now a shift commander for the Hopkins Security Department, Lt. Ritmiller says he enjoys his job much better.
"It's a good place to work with great benefits," says Ritmiller. "And things change everyday. That's the great part of the job - it's not mundane."
Ritmiller supervises a shift of 18 security officers from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. He has arrived an hour early to check his e-mail and give his officers a run-down of crime updates, assigned posts and on-campus events planned for the day.
Behind him, Lt. Mark Carter, the 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. shift supervisor, waits to brief him on the morning's events.
"We have a 'roll call' with the officers - we go over events that have occurred over the past couple of days," says Carter.
Both Ritmiller and Carter, as well as night-shift supervisor Lt. James Henderson, follow the same procedure. According to Ritmiller, communication is key in running an efficient department.
"We get [information] out through the e-mail system [and] through word of mouth," he says.
Ritmiller says Hopkins is the most secure university he has ever dealt with.
"Our department goes out of its way to make sure students are safe," he says.
Carter has been similarly impressed with the department. In the more than 12 years that he has been working with Hopkins Security, he has seen the staff close to double in size.
He estimates a total of 52 staff members, whose jobs range from supervisors to foot and bike patrols. Officers respond to any incidents involving students, and work closely with the Office of the Dean of Student Life and Residential Life.
"We're more professional now than before," says Carter. "We do a lot more ... we wear a whole lot of different hats."
Ritmiller agrees, citing the high standards required by the department.
All employees must either have a college degree or have graduated from an accredited police academy. Many Hopkins Security employees, like Ritmiller, are former police officers for Baltimore City.
In addition to providing patrols on- and off-campus, Hopkins Security offers other services to students, such as motorist assistance and escorts. Carter occasionally receives requests from injured students who need help getting to class.
"If we have the manpower, we'll do it," he says.
Ritmiller recalls even stranger requests.
"I don't think there is a student here who doesn't call us for something," he says, laughing. "My favorite is the clogged toilet."
Hopkins Security also works closely with the Baltimore City Police Department. Lt. Steve Ossmus and Officer Dennis Rosemary, who head the investigative staff, examine any crimes that occur on university property, as well as compile crime data and statistics from the Northern District Police Department.
Rosemary, who worked as a Detective Sergeant for the Northern District seven years ago, spends most of his time trying to get the word out to students about area crimes and worthwhile precautions.
Most recently, he has been trying to warn students about avoiding bike theft on-campus.
"We tell students to get a U-bolt," says Rosemary. "It's the safest thing out there. Every time a bike is stolen, it's one with a cable lock."
But trying to alleviate theft problems is only part of the job. According to Rosemary, Hopkins Security acts as a liaison with the courts and the city police, assisting students who are victims of crime or defendants in criminal cases.
"Most [of the staff] have children of their own," says Rosemary. "We treat the students the way we hope someone would treat our own kids. We want to keep them out of trouble, not get them into trouble."
Ritmiller and Carter share similar sentiments.
"The biggest problem is that a lot of students are na?ve," says Ritmiller. "They might think it's safe to walk down the street alone at night ... we try to inform them as much as we can. I see them as a part of a family, like my own son or daughter. Their families entrust their safety to us."
Perhaps that's why Hopkins Security officers tend to stick around for so long.
"We like what we're doing," says Carter. "We like working with students and staff."
Ritmiller says he plans to stay with the department for a while.
"I'm not planning on going anywhere else." He laughs and looks at Carter. "I'm in the twilight of my career!"
Besides relying on your obvious 911 when you need help, here is some information that you may find useful and might want to remember.
Hopkins Security
http://www.jhu.edu/security/
1) Walking Escorts (provided by student Quad Monitors and Hopkins Security Officers)
(410) 516-8700
(student monitors available 5 p.m. -2 a.m.)
2) Escort Van
5 p.m. - 3 a.m. - (410) 516-8700
after 3 a.m. - (410) 516-8700
(fixed-route vans run hourly starting at 4:35 p.m. and 5:05 p.m.)
3) On campus emergency
(410) 516-7777
4) Non-Emergency
(410) 516- 4600
5) Parking Office of Homewood (410) 516- PARK (7275)
Medical Emergency Numbers
1) Homewood Campus
(410) 516-7777
2) Campus Ambulance
(410) 516-7777
3) Sexual Assault Center
(410) 828-6390
4) Student Health and Wellness (410) 516-8270
State Government Crisis Contacts
AIDS Hotline
(800)-638-6252
Depression and Related
Affective Disorders Association
(DRADA)- (410)-955-4647
Maryland Drug Abuse Administration
(410)-767-6910
Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline (800)-422-0009
National Council on Alcoholism (410)-625-6482
Baltimore Crisis Response
(410)-752-2272
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.