The Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD) boasts a culture that prioritizes specialized training, community policing, and opportunities for its officers. One such officer, Paul Swan, a Sniper Team Leader who has served OSUPD for four years, recently discussed his role and responsibility in a feature published by the Ohio State University Police Division (OSUPD). Born in Columbus and raised in Zanesville, Swan attributes his development to his college experiences in Holland, Michigan, and the individuals who influenced his early life.
Becoming an OSUPD officer stemmed from Swan's eight-year Highway Patrol Trooper tenure. After witnessing the department culture through a peer and former trooper who had transferred and doing a few ride-alongs, Swan was poised to switch to OSUPD. Reflecting on his move, he mentioned, "I knew I wanted to make the switch," Officer Swan told OSUPD website.
With a unique policing experience at Ohio State, Swan appreciates OSUPD's provision for officers to "specialize, train and learn more than any other department I know of," as he puts it. That difference is substantial to him. It allows a sense of fulfillment through community policing, where helping the Buckeye community has become a reward in and of itself. Swan serves with a deep-seated "sense of duty" and revels in being the "boots on the ground" when it counts the most, still feeling rewarded by solving critical problems for others, according to the Ohio State University Police Division.
Swan's life outside the uniform includes a strong family connection, playing games, and honing his skills in falconry – a unique pursuit reflective of an officer who seeks mental agility in both his professional and personal spheres. And when it comes to being a Buckeye, Swan embraces the pervasive community spirit, declaring proudly, "there is a sense of camaraderie of being on the same team" regardless of one's department or academic background, he told the OSUPD website.
