AU Police to have students hired by fall semester for evening Jaguar Safety Patrol

By Chris Rickerson | Staff writer

The Augusta University Police Department is looking to hire eight AU students for the Jaguar Safety Patrol program for fall 2021. 

“As long as the interviews go well, we will start the hiring process this week and hoping to have them in the building by August for the fall semester,” said Sgt. Curtis Dyal, special projects coordinator in AUPD’s Community Services and Investigations Division.

The Jaguar Safety Patrol will give students of Augusta University the opportunity to gain work experience in the law enforcement field as well as helping out the AUPD.

“The campus continues to grow and as everything has come back to normal, we did lose a lot of officers,” said Dyal. “The Jaguar Patrol won’t be here to be police officers and won’t have same function and powers, but they will be able help out with the non-criminal calls.”

The program also prepares students for future jobs and possibly a career. 

“It helps them in the transparency because it lets them see what law enforcement does and deals with, and it prepares them for future roles if they want to be in law enforcement,” Capt. Sam Sherrill of the Community Services and Investigations Division.

Hours will be up to 20 hours per week for student employees, and students will be paid $10 per hour. The Jaguar Safety Patrol employees will work from 5-11 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The federal work study grant will provide 75 percent of all salary cost for student employees and the department that hires the workers will pay the remaining 25 percent.

“There main function will be to provide safety escorts for faculty, staff, and employees of the health system,” said Dyal. “Secondly, they will be tasked to secure campus buildings in the afternoons. They will also be tasked with jump starting motor vehicles and any suspicious activity they come across. They will be equipped with the exact same radio our police officers have and they can report the activity to the zone officer that is closest to them.”

Students will go through a training process that includes conducting escorts, radio communications, golf cart safety, bicycle safety, building security, and more. 

“Students will have their own specialized uniform and we also got four patrol golf carts and bicycles, which they will be trained to used,” said Dyal. 

The AUPD hired AU student-athlete Justin Goddard last year as the social media coordinator and are looking to hire someone who cares about the university as much as he does. 

“Justin is really passionate about the university and is super engaged,” Dyal said. “That is kind of student were looking for, were looking for people who serve as example for the student body and to be attached to the police department as well.”

Students who are interested must apply through their Handshake portal account. 

Contact Chris Rickerson at CRICKERSON@augusta.edu.