Oregon Community College Puts All Officers on Paid Leave

  • By Matt Jones
  • March 11, 2021

Central Oregon Community College, located in Bend, Ore., announced this week that it is putting its entire staff of public safety officers on paid administrative leave during an independent, third-party review of department operations. The university declined to comment on the immediate reason for the investigation.

COCC spokesperson Jenn Kovitz also declined to reveal how many officers were placed on leave. “The College and its employees cannot comment on the ongoing review,” she said. “However, the College’s President, Dr. Laurie Chesley, will consider media interview requests when the review is concluded, to the extend [sic] the College is legally able to comment on the review’s findings and recommendations.”

She said the review should last about a month and is set to begin this week. According to the 2019-20 COCC budget, the department has 11.3 “full-time equivalent” employees, and its budget was $946,906.

A statement from the school revealed that only about 20% of its courses are taking place on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The university has reached out to Bend Patrol Services, which “will provide randomly timed security patrols and will notify local law enforcement in the event of an emergency.”

“Above all,” Kovitz said, “COCC’s commitment is to the safety and well-being of our students, employees, and the community at large.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • Father of Georgia School Shooting Suspect Charged in Connection With Attack

    Colin Gray, the father of the 14-year-old Georgia school shooting suspect, has also been charged in connection with the attack. The 54-year-old father was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children. Read Now

  • Safeguarding Stony Brook University Hospital: HALO’S Commitment to Health & Safety

    The healthcare industry is experiencing an alarming escalation of violence, including an increase in threats against healthcare workers. As a result, it is looking for ways to be proactive and protect its staff and patients.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018 and hospital safety directors say that aggression against staff escalated as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified in 2020.      Read Now

  • Survey: School Safety Impacts Student Achievement, Classroom Instructional Time, and Educator Retention

    CENTEGIX recently released findings from a nationwide survey of 530 K-12 educators and administrators that bring attention to the critical issue of school safety, including the pervasive concerns surrounding staff safety, recruitment, retention, and their impact on student learning and well-being. Read Now

  • Alleviating Stress, Building Confidence, and Creating Safer Schools Through Empowerment

    An active shooter situation is often cited as being extremely rare among school violence incidents in our country. Nevertheless, when one occurs, it’s always devastating, often unpredictable, and evolves quickly. Whether at a school, a house of worship, or anywhere for that matter, one is still too many. Read Now

Most   Popular

Webinars