A police car sits in front of Thompson Library on campus. Credit: Sarah Szilagy | Lantern File Photo.
As most Ohio State students settle in for the night, Ohio State police officer Tom Schneider is just beginning his shift.?
For Schneider and the other officers in the Cohort Joint Patrol Unit, the night is about more than responding to calls; it is about connecting students with the police and campus resources available to them.
The Cohort Joint Patrol Unit is a combined unit of four Ohio State Police Division — OSUPD — and three Columbus Police Division — CPD — officers who provide safety and crime prevention efforts in the university area, as well as resources for students. The unit is a component of the overall safety and crime prevention system the university has in place.?
“Joint patrol and its expansion are part of a comprehensive approach to safety both on and off campus, which has led to a steady decrease in crime in the University District,” university spokesperson Dan Hedman said.?
The program specifically focuses on campus and student-related incidents. These officers also participate in community engagement and outreach to make the community aware of their resources for students.?
“Initially, one officer joint patrol was expanded multiple times since 2021,” Hedman said. “Most recently, the joint patrol program expanded in 2024 to include more officers and new cruiser vehicles that feature badges from both divisions. Four OSUPD officers now patrol off-campus with CPD officers, the most since the partnership started in 2008.”
According to the University Department of Public Safety website, there is a mutual aid agreement, under which the OSUPD and CPD will share information with one another to provide support services to campus and surrounding areas.?
“Having us working together on these calls just provides a seamless kind of transition between police resources and then non-police university resources,” said Schneider.
An important distinction Schneider notes about the unit is that they are not getting sent all across the city, they focus on campus and student related calls. They are able to respond to welfare checks and health calls and spend time with students on non-emergency issues.
“We make ourselves available to anybody that asks,” Schneider said. “We are very welcoming and easy to approach. Anybody in the campus community that can be assisted by this program is who we’re serving.”?
There are many other safety measures the university has put in place for students along with this program. The university offers discounted, late-night rides via Lyft Ride Smart, free window and door alarms and personal safety devices for students living off-campus and an online safety class called Stay Safe, Buckeyes, Hedman said.
For emergencies, always dial 911. According to the Ohio State Civil Rights Compliance Office, please report on-campus nonemergencies to 614 – 292 – 2121 for OSUPD and report off-campus nonemergencies to 614 – 645 – 4545 for the CPD.
