The job of a community service officer, CSO, is to help maintain the safety of the campus and its community.
CSO Supervisor Gabriel Lopez turns onto East Atherton Street and Merriam Way, the sunset streams through the front windshield, casting a warm orange glow on his face.
Patrol duty takes him to the northside campus entrance near the Walter Pyramid into the evening hours Thursday, with the Daily Forty-Niner along with him.
The police radio crackles to life with each chime chirping like a bird. “10-8: Here for assistance if needed, over.”
Another service officer announces their availability over the radio before gathering for the night shift debriefing at 6 p.m.
Wearing a light blue uniform, Lopez is typically assigned to the day shift from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, he chose to cover the first few hours of the night shift.
“We respond whenever a call comes in like safety escorts, unlocks and we take our units to drive around,” Lopez said. “We just make sure we try to get to different places around campus to make sure everything is safe.”
Lopez said the night shift spans from 6 to 11 p.m., with an additional option known as “Beach Watch,” extending from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. During this extended shift, CSOs are responsible for patrolling and monitoring the dorms on campus and the off-campus Beachside dorms.
Besides campus patrols, community service officers are responsible for bicycle registrations, building lockups, live scan fingerprinting, event support, community outreach and night escorts.
The CSO program, a student assistant position, includes 19 service officers as of the spring semester. According to Lopez, the program’s maximum capacity is 20 active CSOs and new hires are brought on board once current officers graduate.
Lopez said the CSO program can serve as a pathway into law enforcement, a career direction he envisions for himself as well.
In addition to contacting the UPD’s non-emergency line for assistance, the campus community will soon have the option to visit the Community Engagement Office next to the Amazon at The Beach building near the south side of campus.
“We just started this space like two months ago and [it is] essentially an area where we can engage with the community and have a presence here on campus,” Lopez said.
Community Engagement Officer Natassaja Dolgorouky said the new office will have its official grand opening by the end of the spring semester.
While CSOs are not trained in handling crimes on campus, they can help transport people in fire or medical-related emergencies.
Lopez said the amount of calls for requests varies each day.
“There’s some days there’s almost no calls and there’s other days where it’s really busy from the beginning shift to end of shift,” Lopez said.
Mechanical engineer major Alejandro Avilez said he’s seen the community service officers escort students around campus but does not see himself requesting CSOs for night escorts.
“I’ve been here for a short time and I haven’t seen anything too bad,” Avilez said. “I’m from a tough neighborhood near South Central where when you walk the street at night it’s a little dangerous, so coming here, it’s not that bad for me.”
While Avilez does not see the benefit in night escorts for himself, he said he recognizes how it benefits women on campus.
Third-year nursing major Cece Thon said she has not called for a night escort but is considering it in the future.
“Since I’m a girl, I usually don’t feel safe walking, especially at night,” Thon said. “I always carry my pepper spray mostly for a safety thing and I would feel safer if someone is walking with me.”
Thon’s friends have also considered calling service officers for night escorts but were afraid of annoying them.
In response, Lopez said community service officers will always help students in need and that it’s the number one priority.
“We make sure that the person we’re escorting feels safe, that they feel comfortable and that they feel like they can count on us getting to their destination safely,” Lopez said. “Don’t worry about annoying us, this is what we’re meant to do.”