Carl Loney Interview - Draft 1

Gretchen Dellner
Chief Carl Loney Interview Story – Draft 1

Alcohol infractions. Sex offenses. Can-collecting thieves. And…snakes in the urinal?

These are just a few examples of the kinds of reports that Wittenberg Police Chief Carl Loney has received in his eight years in charge of the university's Police and Security unit. The Springfield native has been at work in the law enforcement field since he was 18 years old, and since becoming head of crime-fighting on a college campus, the excitement of police work has not diminished.

Loney visited Professor D'Arcy Fallon's Intro to Journalism class on Wednesday, February 3rd to discuss the role of the Wittenberg police on campus and in the everyday lives of students. He talked about the many facets of his job as chief of police and the differences between a city-wide police department and a college security unit.

"Lots of people think of me only as 'the e-mail man.'" Loney said, referring to the constant stream of messages sent out to campus regarding any severe weather warnings or crimes, on-campus or just nearby. The chief asserts that his main goal is to keep the public informed, no matter how trivial the subject might be. "I firmly believe in giving information as fast as I can."

With 13 police officers, Wittenberg's security department is a force significantly larger than that of most small college police units. The department has full authority of the campus, handling around 90% of all crimes at Wittenberg. Major criminal cases are handed over to the Springfield Police Department on occasion.

Loney cited alcohol infractions as the most common crime on campus, although he stated that these reports have decreased significantly in recent years. "Things have changed for the better," Loney said of the climate of alcohol abuse on campus. "Students seem a lot more respectful."

He credits the Witt police force for being relatively understanding of the student atmosphere, saying that the officers who provide escort rides for students late at night are not necessarily looking to arrest anyone walking home from a party, but rather are just trying to "prevent underage trouble." However, Loney stated that there is one thing the police officers prefer when they are driving students home – "please, just don't puke in our cars."

Concerning the long-standing yet technically illegal Wittenberg tradition of streaking the hollow, the Chief once again prefers to approach the situation with a grain of salt, saying "it ain't like robbing a bank in my book." Loney is leading the security department with the intent of preserving safety and overall well-being of the students at Wittenberg, which he understands to require a certain degree of lenience on his part.

Loney's attitude about his job reflects his good feelings about the campus student body. "I wouldn't trade it," he says. Streaking, snakes, and all.