Matthew Will
Lantern Staff
Since taking command in October, Chief of Police Jason Kenney has set out to make Butler Community College as safe a place as he can, along with his team. One of the biggest areas needing improvement was the issue with narcotics on campus.
Recent years have proved good for this problem. In the 2013 school year, on the El Dorado campus, there were 12 drug abuse violations. The number grew to 14 in 2014 and 16 in 2016, but this number fell to 10 in 2016.
“Those numbers are promising,” sophomore Nic Parker said. “I also believe that there is a possibility that there are undiscovered cases.”
According to the campus safety incident report, seven marijuana-related incidents have been reported since August 2017.
“It’s active community policing by the department,” Officer Tim Kamholz said. “We’re ahead of it, and we’re staying that way.”
An incident involves anything student reported, whether they see the narcotics or smell them. If an officer acts upon the incident, it becomes a case. The Butler police force handles these incidents and cases and handle them accordingly.
While the Butler police department cannot control what goes on off-campus, they are still concerned, especially with the Villas.
“We can assist, but technically the Villas is not our jurisdiction; it’s El Dorado’s [police],” Kamholz said. “We’re working with El Dorado police…probably in the near future, we’re going to have the ability to go to the Villas.”
The Butler police department continues to keep Butler safe for all students, faculty and guests. They encourage students to come with them with problems and on-campus problems.
“Overall, I feel safe in the dorms,” sophomore Austin McNorton said. “There is very good security that’s easy to get in contact with.”