WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Wilkes University is starting a police department for its campus.
The university swore in its first officers on Friday.
"To have this day, and keep in mind, so many of (our officers) are law enforcement officers all around," Wilkes University Police Department Chief Christopher Jagoe said. "So, to have this day, like today, I think is important to them."
Wilkes is in the process of converting its public safety department into a police department.
Currently, the university has armed guards on campus. Now, it will have 19 police officers.
This change will continue the university's mission to keep the campus safe.
"Visually, it won't really change that much," Chief Jagoe said. "We're looking more toward being able to use databases for things like checking criminal histories. For keeping our campus safe, of course. We're also looking to get training that is isolated for law enforcement agencies. Things of that nature."
We spoke with students on campus about the police department. They did not know it was going to happen.
"I think it can't hurt," Wilkes Student Morgan Burton said. "It's always good to have an extra layer of protection even if we don't ever use it at all. It's always nice to have it there. I feel pretty safe on campus already, but extra layers never hurt."
The university hopes to have its police department fully up-and-running in the fall.