Annual Report 2012 Ferris State University Department of P ublic ...

Message from the Director – 2012
Director MJ Bledsoe
This is a very special milestone as I complete my fortieth year in law enforcement; roughly, the first three
decades with the City of Farmington Hills police department, and the last decade with the Ferris State University
Department of Public Safety. It’s my time now to call it a career, which I will do in January 2013. It has been an
incredible life and journey. The entrepreneur in me has led to another aspect of this calling and that chapter is
personal protection and security consulting. No sidelines for me!
The experience from city to university has been “exactly the same, only different” as the humorous saying goes.
Cops, crooks and citizens are in many ways quite the same no matter from where they hail. The expectations can
be a bit different from political subdivision to higher-education though. This is primarily in the follow-up and
follow-through expected at a university as well as the options of administrative sanctions for employees and
students who are in violation of the law. These administrative options are regularly used instead of or in concert
with the law, depending on severity of the crime and history of the perpetrator.
Change has come to Ferris State University in the area of law and order over the past ten years and the news is
quite favorable. First, to note the drop in crime of an impressive 41%, a graph and narrative reflecting that is in
the section of this annual report titled Highlights. Second, note the great progress made in the past ten years
promoting voluntary parking compliance. The many things that have been done to make this 60% drop in the
number of parking violations needing to be issued is likewise explained and graphically depicted in the report
section called Highlights. Finally, the last ten years have been spent vastly improving the preparation,
notification and response capabilities in the area of emergency management. There is always more to do, of
course.
It has been my pleasure to serve the community and work alongside some of law enforcement’s very best, not to
mention the citizen partners who have chosen safety and security as primary goals. These are challenging times
with the shocking episodes of crime and terror visited on the peaceful and innocent people of our society.
Incidents of crime are on the rise nation-wide and if the numbers overall are small but you are the victim, that
brings little solace. Dedicated people from all walks of life are willing to face the challenge and I intend to
continue partnering with them. Will you join us?
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