Brown initially wanted to propose this idea to other California State Universities (CSUs). However, his boss, CSUSB Vice President of Administration and Finance Robert Gardner, recommended he meet with local community colleges first. Brown and his dispatch supervisor sent out an invitation to all of the community college vice presidents and chiefs of police, and gave them a presentation on what dispatch services CSUSB had to offer.
“His initiative was a way we and other campuses could save money,” says Gardner. “Now, it’s an example across Southern California of a way public organizations are working together to provide the same service but at a lower cost. I think it’s a model that will be duplicated, not only on campuses but in municipalities as well.”
Grants From Public, Private Sectors Help
Speaking of money, running a campus police department and providing dispatch services to other organizations both on campus and in the surrounding community isn’t cheap. Additionally, it’s no secret that resources of late have been in short supply. Despite these hurdles, Brown and his department have been able to secure approximately $300,000 in grants from the public and private sectors.
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CSUSB PD has received funding from Stater Bros., the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Walmart, Target, the Associated Student Inc. Board of Directors, and other businesses and private citizens in the area. From the public sector, Brown’s department received $109,000 for a dispatch upgrade as well as $126,000 in Homeland Security grants so CSUSB PD could purchase interoperable radios and secure the campus from terrorist attacks.
Initially, Brown wrote the grants himself, but because he is so busy, he soon delegated the task to officers.
“When you hire great people with great skills, you can delegate that task to them, and they get it done,” he claims.
To get them up to speed on the grant application writing process, Brown had some of his officers and sergeants attend grant writing classes. Additionally, they work closely with the grant writers on campus.
Brown also attributes his department’s ability to obtain funding to his networking and sharing of information with other public safety executive
s.
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“Networking is a very powerful tool,” he says. “I just go in and talk to them saying, ‘This is what I’m looking for. Do you know of any business or private organizations that are willing to donate money?’
“As the chief of police, it is my job to go out into the community, not just the campus community but the community in general, to serve as the ambassador for the campus and university police department,” he adds. “I guess you could say that I am well liked in the community. Everybody knows Chief Brown.”
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Brown also does a lot of research for available grants on the Internet, specifically on the IACP, DHS and IACLEA Web sites. The CSU chancellor’s office has been another good source of information on available funds.
Hiring the Right People is a Must
The chief is quick to point out that without the good work of his officers, much of what he and his department have accomplished would not have been possible. Brown stresses the importance of hiring the right people for the right positions. One way he has been able to recruit personnel who will be a good fit for the department is his agency’s intermittent police officer program.
Read more about CSUSB PD’s internittent police officer program.
Diversity is also important to him, so he has increased the number of female officers from one to three. He admits, however, that the process of recruiting officers and specifically female officers can take a long time.
“What I do is network with the other agencies and go down to the academy and see what’s there,” he says. “You have to get them first before someone else gets to them. I tell them, ‘This is a place where you can do whatever you want to do. This is not a big agency where you have the bomb squad or a homicide investigation division, but we have bicycle patrol, the dorms, a traffic division and a dirt bike patrol.’
“[When I started,] I had one female police officer, and my goal as chief was to have three, and I’ve done that,” he says. “They are the best female officers, and I am so proud of them because they are hard working, experienced and they love what they are doing.”
