Since the founding of the Marquette University Police Department in May 2015, an array of changes were made to make the organization as efficient as possible.
The departments work closely despite differences in how they operate and the communities they serve. “MPD is like a big brother to us, they give our officers advice and share their experiences in the field with them,” MUPD Capt. Jeff Kranz said.
Kranz said there are several differences between the two departments, but also many similarities.
“The advantage we have over the Milwaukee Police Department is that our call volume is way less and we have to cover a far smaller area,” Kranz said. “(Milwaukee Police) District 3 includes Marquette’s campus but it is a very vast area that MPD has to cover. There are times where we have just as many officers in Marquette’s region of District 3 as MPD has covering all of the district, so that is definitely an advantage on our end.”
Kranz is a former MPD officer, and familiar with the ins and outs of MPD’s policing system.
“When I was a part of MPD, it felt like we were always rushing around and trying to fix a problem as quickly as possible and then running off to the next issue,” he said. “It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a deep wound. You always have to keep coming back and trying to fix the issue.”
Kranz said MUPD can handle issues in a more thorough manner and take a personal approach to the situation.
“We figure out long-term remedies to problems instead of rushing around from area to area,” Kranz said. “Because we have so many squad cars patrolling Marquette’s campus, it should deter the bad guys and allow our students to feel safe.”
MUPD detective Billy Ball said mounted cameras are an added benefit. “We have a technological advantage over MPD,” he said. “Our ability to utilize the cameras located all around campus gives us insight as to where a crime is happening and we can send officers over to the scene right away to handle the issue.”
Another way in which MUPD and MPD differ is assessing a crime. For less severe crimes, MUPD sometimes turns the situation over to a student conduct committee.
“We use resources outside of the normal criminal justice system such as student conduct at Marquette,” Kranz said. “Obviously if someone was to commit a more heinous crime, like an armed robbery, they would be arrested and sent to jail.”
MPD uses resources inside the regular criminal justice system.
MUPD detective Robert Krystowiak said it is key for MUPD and MPD to work with each other.
“We both have our strengths and we both have our weaknesses,” Krystowiak said. “To work together as a cohesive unit, we play off of each other’s strengths and it makes things a lot easier for both departments.”
Kranz agreed. “Without the help of MPD, we would definitely be a less effective police force.”
