Doug
Parrow, South Dakota Mines Campus Police Chief, stands in front of his patrol
car.
South Dakota Mines has added Doug Parrow as the new campus
police chief.
The
move comes in response to surveys over the past several years conducted by both
the South Dakota Mines Student Association and the university indicating strong
support for campus police officers and increased security. This effort improves
safety in the Mines community and speeds response time for emergency calls that
require a uniformed police officer. Parrow’s appointment was approved by the Rapid
City Council in January 2020.
The
university worked with the city attorney and former Rapid City Police Chief
Karl Jegeris on a joint law enforcement agreement that allows South Dakota
Mines to employ campus police officers. The new policy allows sworn and trained
university law enforcement personnel to carry a weapon on campus. Previously, public
safety officers on campus operated without firearms.
Parrow
will supervise the Campus Police and Campus Safety Departments. He has
been a South Dakota certified law enforcement officer since 1992. He also has a
two-year degree in law enforcement from Minnesota. Currently, he is the only
member of public safety who will carry a firearm. Safety officers who are not
certified law-enforcement officers will continue to operate on the Mines campus
without firearms. More certified public safety officers may be added to the public safety team in the future.
South
Dakota Mines follows other universities in the state, including the University
of South Dakota and South Dakota State University, with the addition of campus
police officers.