I never expected to sit in a police car, but when I did, I was glad it was for my job instead of for breaking the law.

Police cars make me feel paranoid that I am doing something wrong even when I am not guilty of anything. It is the sense of authority they have that makes me want to do the right thing.

As a child, I was always afraid of going to jail. My older cousins would often say things like, “I’m going to call the police on you because you took my Cheetos.” Those words always struck a fear in me. I thought the police could be called any time I was bad.

I finally got to understand how a police officer really works when I spent a few hours with Nicholls University Police Sergeant Alex Barnes.

Barnes introduced himself and made room for me to sit in the car. I was scared that I was going to have to sit in the back seat behind the bars, but I was able to sit in the front and see all the computer gear in the car.

We began riding around campus, observing the activity that takes place.

“Every day is a different day for us,” Barnes said. “Mornings are different than the afternoons, where a morning can be slow, but the afternoon is fast-paced and busy.”

Barnes said that even when they have good days, they still have a lot to do.

“This morning I went to City Corps to drop off some case files for upcoming trials, dropped off some subpoenas I had to the City Marshall’s office, dropped off some case files to the attorney’s office, and contacted victims from a theft for their statements,” Barnes said. “It depends on the day, and today has been pretty easy.”

Barnes started working for University Police when he was a student in Fall 2004.

“I was really interested in the military when I graduated from high school, but my parents did not want me to join because they were worried about going overseas because of the 9/11 incident,” Barnes said. “So I chose the next best thing, which was law enforcement.”

University Police helped Barnes work his way through school, so he felt that he owed it to them to work there. He has been an officer at Nicholls for two and a half years.

“I have no complaints, and I really enjoy it,” Barnes said. “I have been rewarded and got my promotion. I have no reason to leave.”

There are many things that take place on campus of which students are unaware. For example, Barnes explained an incident involving people who were banned from campus but were knocking on students’ apartments and opening their doors. Barnes said he approached them with other University Police officers to handle it, but the people ran away, which resulted in a chase.

“One of the boys ran toward Millet (Hall) and was caught in the courtyard between Millet (Hall) and Zeringue (Hall). The other one ran off toward the softball field and was caught on Colonel Drive,” Barnes said. “One of them jumped into the vehicle and sped out of the parking lot, almost hitting another officer. All were tracked down and apprehended.”

University Police officers also regulary patrol campus grounds, issue parking tickets, boot vehicles with unpaid parking tickets, escort money to and from the bank, provide security for sporting and campus events, direct traffic and act as crossing guards for pre-school kids, investigate criminal activity, help with battery boosts for vehicles that can’t start, and help students who have locked their keys in the car.

“When I am patrolling, I am usually looking for changes that have taken place since I last was in that area,” Barnes said. “There have been times when I am riding around that I see a cracked windshield or a dent in a vehicle that wasn’t there 15 or 20 minutes ago.”

Barnes explained that contrary to some students’ belief, University Police consists of “real” police officers that are commissioned by the state of Louisiana.

“I love my job, and we are all pretty close,” Barnes said. “Sometimes it is hard to come to work because we have long hours, but we all pull it together and look out for each other.”

University Police officers are on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To contact University Police, call (985) 448-4911.

“Students that are interested in becoming an officer should stay focused and remember that you are judged by the company you keep,” Barnes said. “Remember, who you are, what you are known for, and stick to it.”

For students who are interested in becoming a University Police student officer, visit nicholls.edu/police/campus-student-officer/ for an application.

“To talk to a student that has an attitude toward cops, I would ask them if they ever said hey to a cop or told them thank you,” Barnes said. “People do that a lot for our military personnel, but they don’t realize that our military protects us away from home. We protect people at home.”

I thanked Sergeant Barnes immediately after. I didn’t thank him for the interview or allowing me to ride in a cool cop car. I thanked him for protecting me every day that I am on campus.