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OBU Police Patrols Campus to Ensure Safety

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As time nears for college students to begin fall classes at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Okla., OBU police are watching streets adjacent to the college; where speeding has been a problem recently, especially on MacArthur Street.

While Shawnee police patrol city streets, OBU has its own police department with state-certified police officers who also have the authority to patrol around campus and write citations, news-star reported.

University Police Chief David Shannon said jumping of red lights around campus, as well as speeding issues on MacAthur Street has been a common problem. The 25 mph speed zone in the stretch between Kickapoo and Airport Drive is in the campus zone. Since so many students and employees use the crosswalks, safety is the main concern.

Most speeders are going at least 20 mph over the limit, he said.

"No one is going 25 - we rarely see someone at the speed limit," he said.

As for recent tickets, they've issued some nearly every day this past week.

OBU has both campus police officers as well as security officers. The police officers, who wear green uniforms with patches that read 'Police' and 'OBU,' have police jurisdiction on any roadways adjacent to the University and can also enforce city ordinances, he said.

Any traffic stops can be conducted by the University police officers who will always be in marked police cars, Shannon said.

He also added: "We're here to protect the students of this university, as well as visitors and people driving in our area."

The University police department was established in 2009.

Shawnee Police Chief Russell Frantz said SPD and OBU police have an inter-local agreement and University police officers have jurisdiction for traffic stops just as any Shawnee police officer would.

If the OBU police issues someone a speeding ticket, the driver goes before Shawnee Municipal Court, Frantz said.

Anyone with questions about the OBU police can call 878-6000.

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