Michel Stratton of Springfield, Ohio was recently hired as Public Safety’s newest officer and is looking forward to keeping the Capital community safe. After being hired, he was officially sworn in by acting chief Scott Kunkle and university counsel Tanya Poteet.
Public Safety also confirmed that they are planning on hiring at least one more officer in the near future so that they can continue to provide great service and keep the campus community safe.
Officer Stratton explained that he’s been interested in serving the Capital community as a Public Safety officer for the past three years. Luckily, the opportunity arose for him recently.
“Finally, an opportunity came, so I put in my application, got an interview, and they hired me. It was a blessing,” Stratton said.
Officer Stratton has prior experience working at two other police departments before his appointment at Capital, including a position as a school resource officer at the elementary and high school levels. However, this will be his first time serving at a university.
As a school resource officer Stratton was trained in areas that focused on mental health and how to understand students of different age levels.
Stratton is looking forward to being surrounded by people and experiencing the sense of community at Capital, especially considering his previous law enforcement experiences that often involved a lot of solo road and traffic duties.
“You’re still an officer both ways,” Stratton said when asked how he expects his experience at Capital to be different from his prior experiences in law enforcement. “It’s a change for me. It’s a good change.”
While he is used to working in certain school environments, like elementary or high school, he’s never worked on a college campus. This will be the most significant change for him, and one that he’s excited about.
“What it comes down to is being around the students and faculty, and just seeing the everyday experiences that everyone is having at the school level,” Stratton said.
Serving as a Public Safety officer at Capital is a job that Stratton has been working toward for quite some time and he seems to be very passionate about it. More than anything he is eager to become a member of the CapFam and start making a difference.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully retiring from here. It’s a job that I’ve always wanted … What I really want to do is make an impact,” Stratton said.
