Piedmont College has been named the safest college in Georgia by HomeSnacks and Niche and the Piedmont Campus Police are looking to keep it that way. When his fellow officer Richard Blevins suggested that they attend a free training at New Mexico Tech over the summer,  training specialist Officer Dan Roberts said he liked the idea of sending the officers to the training session, which dealt with recognizing and responding to terroristic bombings.

“When Richard brought this to my attention, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Roberts. “It was challenging but worth it, and I think every police officer or first responder should attend these types of classes. I feel better prepared for my job.”

Although Blevins and the rest of the Campus Police Force said they hope the training will never be needed, he cited the recent pipe bombs which were mailed to various political figures and news organizations including President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as evidence that such training is indeed needed.

“I remember not too long after we got back and those events were in the news, the other officer that went with me to the training, who had no previous experience whatsoever with explosives, called me up and said he was able to recognize the components of the bombs… based on the pictures that were circulating the news,” Blevins said. “So the training is definitely worth it.”  

The initiative to seek out this type of training is an example of the work campus police officers do behind the scenes to keep Piedmont safe. Blevins said although they do not seek the recognition of being a top ranked “safe” school, there is a feeling of pride that comes with it.

“We want to be number one around here,” Blevins said. “We want all the local city departments to look at Piedmont as the premiere law enforcement agency. We want to do it the right way, do it for the right reasons. We want to make people feel safe.”