CSUSM Police: Exclusive Interview with 9-1-1 dispatcher Maddy Pelia

Interview  - Maddy Pelia 9-1-1 Dispatcher

   CSUSM Campus Police Station 

 

     I interviewed Maddy Pelia who is has been working for the CSUSM Campus Police station as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the last four years. She is responsible for answering all non-emergency calls and dispatching the necessary personnel to the situation. Due to the nature of work, she is required to be very aware of all the safety resources available to students on campus including self- defense programs, the emergency call buttons located all around campus, emergency phones, and the safety services provided to all students during and after campus hours. We covered many topics regarding the importance of these safety measures the actions the school takes to ensure a safe and secure campus for its students. Maddy expressed the importance of the students feeling safe on campus in order to provide a stress-free environment to academically flourish. They do their absolute best to make sure the students have everything they need and more to ensure a secure education. 

     I also addressed the issue of parking that was a prevalent issue within our focus group. Students seemed to be dissatisfied with the current parking system implemented on campus. Maddy explained to me a few programs developed to help students alleviate the issue of expensive parking. Also, she seemed to have a few ideas of other solutions that the campus is looking into that could in the future help students deal with the high costs of on-campus parking. Overall, I feel this was a very helpful interview as it helped me understand the importance of the Campus Police and distinguish the difference between their role and the role of the city police. 

- Garrett Weimann