Pioneer LogLewis & Clark College’s Student-Run Newspaper

A night in the life of two Campus Safety officers

March 05, 2010

by Joshua Kaplan

Campus Safety officers Rob Maisonet and Tim Burgard both enjoy working out, but any cop stereotypes end there.

“We don’t do donuts,” Burgard said.

The officers patrol, write reports, investigate crimes and respond to calls. They deal with incidents from car difficulties to passed-out students. 

Maisonet and Burgard shared their favorite and funny experiences from their time at LC with the Piolog during a ride-along last weekend.

Maisonet, who recently finished studying at Portland State University, went to the Watzek Library to study once, off duty and without a uniform. As he was entering the library, a biker yelled “Campo undercover” and biked off.

Burgard said his funniest experience was when his wife went to meet him for coffee during his break, bringing their 105 pound German shepherd. Students saw him with the dog and yelled that Campo had a dog, then ran away.

Burgard said that about 95 percent of his contact with students is positive, and that he is surprised by the immaturity of a few. These few, he said, binge-drink, remove stop signs—which creates a higher risk for traffic accidents—and commit other acts of vandalism. 

The binge-drinking probably has to do with being out from under parents’ authority for the first time, Burgard said. Maisonet added, “It’s sad when students get caught up in drugs, alcohol, and crime and have to leave.”

Vandalism is also saddening, Burgard said, as this campus is a particularly beautiful one that helps attract new students.

According to Burgard, student crime is disappointing because students pay a lot of money to go to LC. 

“Students should take advantage of this opportunity,” Maisonet said.

Both officers said that they disliked the “us vs. them” attitude some students have. 

“We want to be friends with students. We’re not fired up to bust people,” Burgard said.

About 99 percent of the time, students who they busted for violations have been positive the next day, said Burgard.

Despite some negative experiences, both Burgard and Maisonet said the student body is overall a very accepting community that gets along. Maisonet cited the example of a student who would dress up like a rabbit and stay that way while going to class. Visiting students would double-take, he said, but LC students would be accepting.

Being a campus security guard can be rewarding, Burgard said. He told of when he saw that an unconscious student needed to go to the hospital. The student stopped breathing twice and he would have possibly died if not for his decision to call 911, Burgard said.

Maisonet likes biking. Burgard enjoys playing with his dog and remodeling houses.

From his childhood, Burgard wanted to be a cop. “I would always play the cop, not the robber,” Burgard said.

Maisonet, on the other hand, wanted to be a race-car driver when he was a kid.

Like the other Campus Safety staff, Maisonet and Burgard have had experiences that brought them to safety work. Maisonet was a paramedic and Burgard was a police officer.