The campus police chief was terminated during Spring Break after only a year in the position.
Former Police Chief Jennifer Rodgers was called into a meeting with Joey Croslin, vice president for human resources, on March 12 and was told her employment was terminated. Croslin had hired Rodgers as police chief Jan. 3, 2018.
No notice or reason was given for the termination, Rodgers said, but there had been some indications recently that communication had changed with her supervisor.
“When you’re used to speaking with your supervisor several times a week, and then it goes to nothing, then you know something is wrong,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said Croslin did not like to communicate by email, which often made communication difficult because they worked in different buildings and had different schedules.
Rodgers said she was not allowed to retrieve her property from her office before being asked to leave campus.
“They had someone from HR follow me to my office,” she said. “I asked in the original meeting, ‘please don’t do that. I’ve been here a year and a half. I have a lot of personal things in the office.’”
Rodgers said she struggled to take care of officers and the campus community during her time as chief of police because of a lack of funding and communication from higher-ups.
“I’ve been handcuffed, so to speak, ever since I came on, from running the police department the way it should be run,” she said.
Campus police previously had 13 officers, but it has dwindled down to four, Rodgers said. University officials would not allow her to increase the police staff, she said.
“Were there times we went without an officer on campus? Yes. Is that acceptable? No. But the administration knew that,” she said. “I needed more positions, and it just got to this frustrating point where I was not getting anywhere with advising them of the situation that we were in.”
If officials don’t make changes soon, the department will become ineffective, Rodgers said.
Lt. Nathan Pyle was named the interim chief of police March 11. Pyle said he was contacted and asked to take over the position with no prior notice or explanation of Rodgers’s departure.
“I didn’t know anything about it. I was just contacted and asked to step into the position,” he said.
Pyle said Rodgers has been helping him since he began working in the police department in October.
“Even though I am a lieutenant, I was working as the assistant chief,” he said.
Pyle said he thinks it would be inappropriate for him to comment on Rodgers’s departure.
He also said he is unsure of how long he will be interim chief, but he has goals for the campus community.
“My goal is to keep the department running smoothly, to hire more people and focus on the safety of the faculty, students and staff,” he said.
Rodgers said the best part about being at OCU was getting to know the students and helping them when she could.
“If there was something I could do for them, helping them in their place, whatever it was… going to buy a student a tire because they didn’t have the money, or doing an interview with a student so they could practice their law skills or hiring an officer that couldn’t find a job and mentoring them,” she said. “It’s about teaching and bringing up the next generation. I’ve lost the opportunity to do that. That’s what hurts.”
Rodgers said she upholds her commitment to education.
“No matter what, I’m still an alumni, and I’m proud of the degree I earned from OCU,” she said.
Because of her love for education and working with students, Rodgers said she most likely will go into full-time teaching at another university.
“I’ve got something to offer in my knowledge of 30 years of police work, and I want to share that and help young people into a wonderful career,” she said.
Lenora LaVictoire, mass communications junior, said they had an overall positive impression of Rodgers.
“She seemed really open, down to talk to students, relatable, which I think is really important with a campus police chief,” they said. “That’s why I’m kind of curious to find out what happened.”
LaVictoire said because the two university officials a student is most likely to remember are the president and the police chief, accountability is essential for these two roles.
“Younger people have harder times trusting police,” they said. “Be open and accountable, and the student body will trust you.”
Rodgers said she will always support the students.
“I just want the kids to know that I appreciate them,” Rodgers said.
Croslin refused to comment today, citing a “personnel issue.”
Contributing: Editor-in-chief Nicole Waltman and Copy Editor Chandler White
This is absolutely insane. OCUPD is a mess and has been for some time. Chief Rodgers was the only part of the department that made students feel respected, heard and safe. I also feel for the family she has at home to support. OCU administration never deserved Rodgers. It shocks me that they’ve treated her with this much disrespect. However, with the amount of disrespect given to faculty and students, this is expected in some way. Rodgers appeared on the Netflix documentary covering the entire story of Timmothy McVeigh and the Murrah Building Bombing. Since viewing that piece, I was excited to have her joining OCU’s community – being that it has been in desperate need of leadership and changes to safety measures. Shame on the decision makers.
I was very impressed by Jennifer. She is a very nice lady. Seem to know her job. I think u r making a big mistake by letting her go. I heard nothing but good things about her. This school sure doesn’t take pride in themselves ; like i’ve
always heard all these years. Shame on u.
This is terribly unfortunate. My daughter had appendicitis in January and PC Rogers was instrumental in the excellent care she received. Rogers had officers stay with my daughter through the entire ordeal from the ambulance to the ER to the surgery suite until I could arrive from Texas. Rogers made sure my daughter was never left alone during a traumatic emergency for our family. We are so appreciative to Rogers and the officers that helped us. It is unfathomable to me that PC Rogers will no longer be a part of the OCU police department as she gave us great comfort in knowing what excellent support she takes of the OCU students.