Those involved in the criminaljustice department worked often with the local govern ment on some level, according to Samuel]effrey, assistant professor of behavioral sciences. " If nothing else, we're interacting with them in the sense that many ofour graduates become local law enforccment of-li.cers,·'J effrey said. "For those ofus who have worked in that arena, the danger of what cops do the bravery that they show on a daily basis - has always been readily apparent." In fall 201G,Jeffrey started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase body armor for members of the Searcy Police Department, as well as officers from the \Vhitc County Sheriff's Office and the Conway Police Department. J effrey said he was first introduced to the body armor by a p1-c\·ious employer, and said he knew this le\'cl of protection was the perfect gift for local law enforcement officers. Howe\'er, each set of armor carried an enormous price tag, soJ effrey knew he would not be able to accomplish this on his own. "Police officers put their lives on the line for us every clay,"J effrey said. ''Because it became such a part ofthe national conscience O\"Cr the summer, people everywhere were really motivated to help out. Everyone wanted to show their support:, so a lot of people jumped at the opportunity to help buy this body armor.'' \\'ith the , 7,600 raised in the campaign,J effrey said they were able to buy 13 sets of the Level [V body armor, eight of which were sent to officers in the Searcy Police Department, four to the \Vhite County Sheriff's Office and one to the Conway Police Department. Junior criminal justice major Vangilder said one of the police officers who recei\'ed a set or body armor was a recent Harding graduate whom she knew personally. ·'It was so cool to know that someone I imcractecl with is now going to be more protected out on the streets," Vangilder said. "l think this campaign is going to provide so much peace of mind 10 the people that officers arc lcm·ing behind - wives won't have to worry about their husbands as much, and husbands won't ha\'c to worry about their wives as much. This was our opportunity to show appreciation for the people who put their lives on the line every clay.'' Sophomore criminal justice major Taylor Moseley also agreed with adding support for local police. "I think it's great that we got new, potentially better protection," Moseley said. Vangilder said she did not believe this campaign was necessarily the first or last step in improving the security of police officers, but about initiating a general change of attitude. "It's not saying you ha\'e to agree \\-ith everything going on in mainstream news," Vangilder said. "There are good people behind the blue, and there are a lot of things we can do for our officers to say, 'Thanks for what you're doing." For me, it's a way to say, ·You're doing something I'm not ready to do yet, so thank you."' Th Samuel J e.fji'e)', assistant /no.fe sso r of beha z,io rn/ 1·t ien ce,, educa tes his students on the importan ce of safe/)' in th efi eld during his criminalju stice class 011 Oct. 6_ He started a GoFund.\fe campaign on/inf lo raise mone_J' lo donate armor and shon• his and the department's sup/;orl of the officers· n·o1"k. I Photo b_v 1i·cu.u Fujisawa
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