Pizza and Patrol was an event held by Mt. SAC’s police department in hopes to make students more familiar with on-campus police, with some officers walking around the front of the Student Center’s Miracle Mile entrance. This gave them the chance to introduce themselves and make connections with the student body.
Students were met with food, music and the campus police attempting to make their presence more known, as some officers were talking about the other services provided by campus police outside of what’s normally expected by police. “We’re just trying to open up with the community and let them know what we offer,” Sergeant Peter Gamino, a Mt. SAC officer said. “I see a lot of people in the parking lots, and we offer car jumps, we offer free car openings when they lock their keys in there. Unfortunately, I see people paying for a service, because they’re not aware of what we provide. We’ll do it for free, but I see people paying like $200 to get their key out of the car. We’re just trying to make them know we’re here, and the services that we’re offering.”
One of the main goals of the event was, “To have an opportunity for the campus community to come out and meet the officers here, and the pizza was the draw to get them to come,” Chief of Campus Police and Safety Kelli Florman said. “Hopefully they stay around to ask questions of us, but even if they don’t, it’s a way for them to see us as just members of the campus community, and not people to be afraid of, but people that are friendly that they can come to us if they need help.” Outside of this, officers in attendance had their own ideas on how they would like to impact the campus outside of what the campus police are there to do, with Sergeant Gamino being very open about how he’d like to help students, and how he’d like to impact campus life.
“Just to make us more visible, available for all the students, the staff,” Sergeant Gamino said. “I want to make the staff and the students feel comfortable approaching, so I like to go out and be proactive. I get out of the car and walk around, I talk to the students, I let them know that we’re to help them, and it kind of breaks that fear of approaching a law enforcement officer.”
Sergeant Gamino hopes to be a figure that students, faculty, and staff can all call upon when the going gets tough, “If something does go on or something does occur, I want them to say ‘hey, he’s gonna help me’. I want to be like a big brother to everybody here, and I think that’s all of our goals here,” Sergeant Gamino said.
Chief Florman shared her goals with how she wanted to personally impact campus as well. “I just want the campus community to know we are members of the campus community, and we are here to serve and protect, and not an entity to be afraid of,” Florman said.
Campus Police and Safety’s office is located within building 23, just across the way from the Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Students are encouraged to stop by with any needs that the police department would be able to meet.
