The police department has a new location on campus.
OCUPD moved into their new location at 1635 N.W. 23rd St. Aug. 17.
The building has a bulletproof wall in the entryway that was created out of recycled bulletproof vests and a control room with cameras watching over the main campus and the law school.
There are 103 cameras on the main campus, including some that can rotate and zoom on top of the Gold Star Memorial Building, and 45 cameras at the law school downtown.
“We wanted to make sure we have a secure entry,” said Bradd Brown, chief of police. “Our primary goal is to make the campus safe.”
The building is comprised of a conference room used for emergency situations, staff offices, a lost and found area, an evidence room with an alarm, a mail area with weapons and ammunition lock up, and a break room.
The new location is the best thing for the campus, Brown said.
“It gives us easier access and it’s easier for them to respond,” Brown said. “With the three flights of stairs, it took seven minutes before.”
The building also has an emergency generator that can last for about two or three days. The university’s crisis management committee helped pay for it.
The move was projected to cost about $35,000 to $40,0000 but more than $20,000 was saved by the officers and facilities workers doing the work instead of hiring contractors. The final cost was about $10,000 to $12,000, which was paid for by money allocated from the university, permit fees and ticket revenue.
“I think it’s nice,” said Dustin Bielich, theater design and production freshman. “It feels safe because it’s right on 23rd Street and it’s close.”
The building was used by the law school for the Oklahoma Innocence Project, where people who were wrongly convicted in court could go for help.The building was left vacant when the law school moved downtown last academic year.
For more information about the police department or its new location, contact them at 208-5001 or ocupd@okcu.edu.
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