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I am the Assistant Chief of Police, which means I conduct the day-to-day administration of the department along with the Chief of Police. As the second-in-command, I oversee the operations of several sub-departments, which include patrol, the detectives, and parking enforcement group. We have about 67 sworn officers and 70 non-sworn officers on the other side of the campus. So, we are a department of almost 150 personnel.

As a department, our responsibilities include the security of the campus; we respond to about 20,000 emergency and non-emergency calls each year. And while our primary responsibility is protection of life and property, we respond to disruptions in classrooms, accidents in labs, or even dignitary visits to campus. In particular, one of my responsibilities is to be the spokesperson for the department, advising the media and answering questions about events that happen on campus. We are very proud of the fact that we are so actively involved on campus, not only ensuring safety, but also the smooth operation of the hundreds of things that take place every day. We are many times the first face that people see, whether it is crowd control or a sporting event. We are also actively involved in Emergency Management. It is unfortunate that we many times are reactive to a crime, but we are also very proactive in that we educate our community about important issues such as personal safety and awareness of surroundings.

Our department reports to the Vice President of Administration, but I work very closely with all facets of our community. I work closely with our Student Affairs colleagues, especially since there are around 25,000 students on campus. I work with the sub-departments of Student Affairs, such as Campus Residences to ensure that the housing is kept safe and secure. I also work with the Athletics Department and most importantly with the Conferences and Special Events office, which runs nearly every event on campus.

I would say that anytime I have faced a situation with a victim, it has been difficult. You have to realize that anything that happens in the outside world, such as the incident at Virginia Tech, can happen here. This is a community of 40,000 people with venders and students and employees. Any criminal activity is the downside of the job, but that is exactly why we are here. Any time I see a victim, even if it is a result of a property crime (which doesn't seem like the worst thing that could happen), it bothers me. Someone could have had their laptop stolen, which could have contained all of their assignments. Someone else might have their credit cards and their license stolen from their wallet. For the victim, it is a pretty bad day, because they must go through a lot to recover from such a theft.

We had 37 burglaries last semester, which is not such a huge number when you look at it, but it is still 37 people who were victimized. This was not 37 doors kicked in, but 37 open door burglaries. So, one of the biggest challenges this semester is to convince people to lock their doors. This is where education is such an important part of our job. I often speak at high schools and at freshmen orientations to young adults. I tell that I am not here to be the moral police, but if you are underage, obviously you shouldn't drink, and know better than to take illegal drugs. With that said, I discuss with them the dangers of alcohol and drugs, and that they contribute greatly to problems. We (the cops) consider them the most common contribution to crimes, whether it is sexual assault or burglaries.

I think I was most influenced by my mother's uncle, Freddy. He was a highly-decorated New York Police Department (NYPD) Detective. He was one of the detectives who carried the bomb out at the 1939 World's Fair English Pavilion, for which he received the Sir Walter Scott medal from England. He was then honored by the former Mayor of New York, Mr. Fiorello LaGuardia. I grew up hearing wonderful stories about him. So, even as a kid, I had this idea that cops are "the good guys." And of course, my stepfather's upbringing played a huge part in my success. So, I took a few tests. But, it was my dad's friend who suggested that I should look into university law enforcement. He even recommended Stony Brook University. I applied, got in, and it turned out to be a perfect fit.

I have had so many mentors. Chief Richard M. Young is one of the best teachers. He has been a fabulous resource. He is my boss and friend, and I hope to someday sit in his chair when he retires. I have had several other wonderful people in my life, such as Fred Preston, former Student Affairs Vice President and Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny, President of Stony Brook University. On a personal level, my father, William Erk, was the biggest influence. He taught me that giving back is honorable and rewarding, and his philosophies definitely rubbed off.

In public forums, I have had people challenging me and claiming that they don't like cops. But I have learned to handle that with facts not emotion. Sure, there is a prejudice by some towards cops, and with a very small number of cops, that is deserved, however many of their prejudices are because cops are authority figures. So, how you handle your authority and respond to that kind of criticism is important. We must always assure those we serve that we are there for them and always willing to go above and beyond.

The funny thing about this job is that you do have a set day, but your whole day could be changed by events on campus. With close to 40,000 people in our community, things occur. Usually my day is made up of an array of meetings with different constituencies throughout the campus. If I am not at meetings or events on campus, I am usually dealing with day-to-day commitments at the department. My day starts out with ensuring that everyone in uniform does their job and that they are never less than on the cutting-edge of professional service. Last week I spent half a day at a high school, talking about safety to several potential Stony Brook students. Next week, I am going to the town of Islip to talk about customer service, and how to respond to complaints when formally submitted.

There is an incredible amount of variety. I sit down at the computer like many other jobs. But I hate it because I would rather be out on the field talking to people. If I am at my desk, it is usually to write emails to the troops or answer interview questions. But, this is not one of those jobs where you will find yourself saying that you are bored. The only time that it is relatively quiet is when the students are on a break. But we are excited when they come back.

I usually work for 8 or 9 hours a day, sometimes more. I attend many on and off campus events. For example, last night I went to a dinner for the Suffolk County Police Reserves. I am also a former President of the Suffolk County Chief of Police Association, so it is not unlikely that I could spend time outside of the prescribed work hours at an occasion like that.

Policing is lucrative in that you can rise up through ranks and make a good salary. Someone in my position can expect to make a very nice living. I know that some of my colleagues in the surrounding community do well financially. But, it is not all salary that keeps me going. I work hard for my job because I feel I make a difference. Sure, money is what makes the world go round as some say. But when you get to my age, money does not hold as much value as the position of honor you have been entrusted with.

Well, there is a financial reward in that when you go up the ranks, you receive higher pay. There are also other forms of rewards when cops do wonderful jobs that supersede their defined duties. We have had cops that have saved lives here on campus. One of my cops revived someone when they had a heart attack. The cop pulled the AED out and saved the man's life. She was recognized for this life saving action by the Chancellor of the State of New York in a special session in Albany. At the Suffolk County Police Reserves meeting that I attended just last night, they honored cops who have taken numerous dangerous weapons like AK-47s off several people in just a period of a month and a half. Another set of cops solved a crime where $250,000 was robbed from a jewelry store. So, merits and plaques are part of the reward system. However what is most rewarding is to know that what you do is important.

I think that the job has affected my social life in a good way. I have met a lot of friends through this profession who happen to be cops. But this particular career has also given me the opportunity to meet faculty, students, doctors, legislators and a lot of other wonderful people. As for my family life, even though I am on call 24/7, my wife is very understanding. She is a fundraiser, so she knows all about being out and about. And even if it means that sometimes we can't be in the same place at the same time, I would say that my career is very much a part both our lives.

Police officers are permanent employees once they go through a probationary period. The Chief and I work at the pleasure of the President. So, we are management. This means that we can be replaced if we don't do a good job, which is appropriate.

I honestly don't know! There is one more step for me in that I would like to be Chief someday. Believe me when I say that being second-in-command is rewarding. But as the former Student Affairs President, Fred Preston said, "I'll go when it's time to get off the stage." Dr. Preston is now teaching, and he is still a productive man. So, even when I get off the stage, I'll be doing something because the key to a long life is always being involved.

Our department requires an Associate's degree. I know that in my parent's day, you had to be tall, big and strong, but today it is not just a man's career, but also a woman's. Today the most important attribute is being bright, caring and fully understating your roll as a police officer. It is about good common sense. There are also a lot of younger cops now, some even just a little over just 20 years old. They are very sharp and energetic. They have that fire in the belly, which is important.

We have a saying on campus, "if you see something, say something." So, we need involvement of the community because we realize that we can't just do it ourselves. When I started, community policing was just in its infancy, and departments were more concerned about reacting to crime. But it has changed. We have crime-stoppers, neighborhood watch and so on. On campus, we recently had an instance where a student was shaking people down with brute force for their money. And this was happening until one person, who wasn't even the victim called us. So, we were able to lock the guy up and he is no longer a student here.

There have been times where I have wondered how life would have turned out had I done something else. But I have just had so many good days here. I met my wife here. She is a former student here, and was also an employee. And I realize that I have been here for over 30 years and that I have been a pretty lucky guy. I have been able to do what I wanted to. I have met the Dalai Lama, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Alec Baldwin and several others because of this job. This University draws people in. There is that one tenth of one percent of the population that likes to hurt and destroy. They are the bad guys, but it is the 99.9 percent of the good people who go to school every day, enjoy events on campus and really get the most out of this place that enhances our job. Though we are not the faculty, we know that when students get their degree and graduate, they will come back to this University. So when you compare us to other communities, we are a pretty special place.

I would say that the field is definitely growing. Most importantly, the sector of post-9/11 emergency management is expanding, because the country is growing, and the campus is growing. We have six cops in the police academy right now. So, as the businesses grow our community grows, we are in need of more cops. But it is important that people see that we are not just reactive, but that we are also proactive as educators.

A minimum qualification for our job is 60 college credits. Many of us have undergraduate degrees. You could major in criminal justice or political science. But most importantly, you have to be well-rounded and have a sense of worldliness. You must take and pass the exam, which is followed by psychological and agility tests and full background checks. Today, whether you want to be a journalist or a cop, one mistake could mean that you will be skipped over. Of course, you have to go to a six-month Police Academy. This is where you will be trained in all facets of law enforcement. We send our officers to the Suffolk Police Academy.

There are times when some cops are not always a good fit for the department. They are the ones that sometimes don't belong in this field. There is bad in everything. However, a bad campus cop makes the entire department look bad. So, as administrators we have rules and regulations through which we make sure that our people are held to the highest standard so that the people they serve can look up to them and say, "This is who is protecting us."

For one, you have to have passion and you have to like people. And I mean really like people. You have to have a passion to serve, and you have to be willing to really give of yourself. You also have to have empathy for people. You must understand early enough that you are going to see pain, because people sometimes become victims. But you also have to look at the other side, and know that you are doing something that is so important to ensuring the quality of life for the community. So you have to care for people and want to make a difference in your own way. You raise your right hand swear to uphold the Constitution and to ensure the safety of people you serve.

My general advice is that you have to ask yourself whether this is what you really want to do for another 25, or even 30 years. It can be both boring and exciting at the same time. And the next piece of advice would be to tell him or her that you shouldn't just want to be a cop. Instead, you should aim to become a sergeant, then a lieutenant, a captain, an inspector and even achieve Chief status someday. Lastly, you have to always strive to continue to learn. And like I've said, passion and empathy go hand-in-hand with commitment and drive.