Effective law enforcement in a campus community comprising some 7,000 people doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of a professional, dedicated approach to the job. At Ithaca College, that example is set at the top.
Bob Holt has been the director of the Office of Campus Safety since 1989, and it is under his leadership that 15 sworn police officers, plus security officers and a student auxiliary safety patrol, ensure a safe living, learning, and working environment. But "campus safety" is not just a euphemism for the long arm of the law and the people who control parking. The full-time staff of 35 work to educate people on how to keep from becoming victims of crime. They oversee fire and emergency response, and address environmental safety concerns. They inspect buildings, review plans for any construction, conduct safety training, and ensure that the College is in compliance with state and federal regulations. They even take care of any wildlife problems that might come up. Indeed, whether you are facing a serious emergency or whether you locked your keys in the car, campus safety is there to help.
Holt says he like the pace of an office that has been "going about a hundred miles an hour" since he came on board. He says law enforcement work on campus is never routine, and he has high praise for the professionalism and dedication of his staff. In addition to the usual challenges of policing a small community, there are the special problems-and pleasures-of working with a college-age constituency. "There's no question about it," he says. "It energizes us."
Holt brought to the College extensive experience with the more dramatic side of law enforcement, having served for 22 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He joined the FBI after 7 years as a high school teacher of biology and algebra in Gary, Indiana, his hometown. Although he enjoyed teaching, the FBI doubled his salary, gave him "a way to get out of Gary," and offered a career that was undeniably exciting. In 1968 he and his family were sent to Mississippi, where he helped prevent Ku Klux Klansmen from retaliating against those working for the cause of civil rights. His next FBI assignment brought Holt to Ithaca, where he was asked to instruct new local law enforcement officers and federal agents in shooting, using the baton and night stick, making arrests, and conducting interviews. He did background investigations and undercover work and later led the special weapons and tactics (SWAT) program for the agency's Albany division. When antiterrorist measures were planned for the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980, it was Holt who headed the SWAT presence at the Winter Games. (Although there was no attack during the Olympics, suspected terrorists were traced to a location an hour and a half away.) Now, when Holt hears "horror stories" about FBI aims and tactics, he wants to "demystify" the bureau. "It's a law enforcement agency," he says. "Its agents are human beings, and they have a job to do."
In his free time Holt is an ice hockey referee, an activity he has passed along to sons Todd and Greg. Holt and his wife, Diane, enjoy going to antique car shows, and the couple even owns a refurbished '74 Corvette.
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