New Director of Campus Safety builds community with student lunches, joint trainings

Abstract

Tara Simmelink brought more than two decades of law enforcement experience to Pacific Lutheran University when she started the contract Director of Campus Safety position at the university. When she was with the Pierce County sheriff's unit, Simmelink worked with patrol, field training officers, specialty assignments, narcotics, domestic violence, the special assault unit, child abuse, homicide, and others. Simmelink's ability to work with various groups of constituents is valuable for her position at PLU. The Director of Campus Safety is a contract position with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, ensuring a close working relationship between the Sheriff's Department and the university. “I know some universities struggle to get a response from local law enforcement, but [because of the contract nature of the Director position] everyone here knows they can just call me and say, ‘Hey, here's a concern I have, or I need a report on this.’ That relationship is pretty unique,” Simmelink said.