News Photo by Julie Riddle Campus Safety Officer Chet Spencer, right, chats with student Mike Lazarowicz in the cafeteria at Alpena Community College on Monday.

ALPENA — Even a safe place has the potential to be unsafe.

At Alpena Community College, Campus Safety Officer Chet Spencer, of the Alpena Police Department, has patrolled hallways on campus for the past year, his uniformed presence a tangible deterrent to the bad things that could happen.

Characterizing ACC as a clean, well-run campus with good students, Spencer hasn’t had to take any aggressive action in the year since his position was created. He’s unlocked a lot of car doors, found cell phones, taken a few theft complaints, and done a lot of listening.

The campus doesn’t have a history of violence, nor does it expect any, administrators say.

Still, Spencer said, “you can’t lull yourself into a false sense of security and say it’s not going to happen here.”

An increase in violence on college campuses nationwide led to the establishment of the campus safety officer position a year ago. At the time, the campus was one of the few community colleges in the state without a dedicated campus officer.

Spencer hasn’t had to address too many complaints, stop fights, or combat violent behavior.

Still, Spencer said, to evaluate the importance of a uniformed presence on campus based on the number of complaints is gauging by the wrong criteria.

His value is not only in addressing present problems, but also in guarding against the potential for what could happen.

Campus shootings are increasingly common nationwide, the officer said.

“Any engaged parent who is active in their child’s life and wants the best for them is worried about it,” Spencer said. “You’d have to be, unless you live in a cave.”

Spencer applauds the school’s decision to institute a campus safety position, even in a setting that seems safe.

“Deny, deny, deny is not fixing anything,” he said. “Sitting there with our head in the sand won’t fix anything. It’s giving the perception that it’s a soft target.”

But, Spencer said, data from nationwide campus violence shows that, when someone appears who can shoot back, almost all shooters stop.

With an on-campus office in a recognizable, highly trafficked area, Spencer spends much of his work time patrolling campus, making sure students and faculty know he’s there.

Student Mike Lazarowicz has reached out to Spencer several times, asking his help to combat unsafe drivers who speed past the student crosswalk on Johnson Street and alerting him to a potentially volatile person coming onto campus.

“It’s nice to be able to talk to a cop,” Lazarowicz said, appreciating Spencer for his friendly wave and approachable demeanor.

The campus officer has helped students grapple with family issues, answer law-related questions, and cope with college stresses by connecting them to mental health and other resources.

Even the simple act of helping someone unlock a car door helps students feel safe in a moment of vulnerability, Spencer said.

The presence of a school safety officer is an unfortunate necessity in our current society, said ACC Instructor Tim Kuehnlein. He called the position an understated but obvious sign of the school’s preparedness.

Students in the hallway and campus lunchroom, unphased by a police officer in their midst on Monday, greeted Spencer with a nod or continued chatting with their friends. His job, Spencer said, isn’t to cause a stir.

“It’s to handle what few criminal complaints there are, be seen, and give the impression that this is not a soft target,” the officer said.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.