Switching to a Hybrid Policing Model on a College Campus

In recent years, many college campuses have transitioned from unarmed campus security or police departments to armed or hybrid ones. While this massive undertaking requires much research and planning, Felix Martinez, director of public safety at St. Mary's College of Maryland, says transparency was always a top priority when his campus was considering the switch.In this discussion, Martinez discusses how he remained transparent throughout the transition and emphasized time and time again that weapons are merely one of many tools and an absolute last resort for de-escalating a situation (7:23).Martinez also shared: How he has helped improve officer morale (2:34)How he views community policing (3:41)How he obtained a $375,000 grant for security cameras (12:15)NOTE: The 2025 Campus Safety Director of the Year winners will be announced at this summer’s national Campus Safety Conference, happening July 21-23 in Austin. Visit https://campussafetyconference.com/ for more information.CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazineX: https://x.com/CampusSafetyMagInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/CampusSafetyMagLinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine