Assisting an overly intoxicated student dressed as Winnie the Pooh, escorting someone home late at night and giving directions to lost pizza delivery drivers – all in a night’s work for Matthew Berge, graduate student in FAA.

“There have been quite a few memorable nights (on the job),” Berge said. “Some funny, some borderline-dangerous.”

Berge has worked as a student patrol officer for the University Police Department since last September.

“The main purpose of student patrol officers is that they are an extra set of eyes and ears for police officers,” said University Police Officer Gene Moore, student patrol coordinator. “We sit right in the middle (of the Champaign-Urbana community), and the Champaign and Urbana police departments use them as well.”

Student patrol officers have been serving the University community for 21 years. The patrol consists of 36 students who are divided into three teams of 12 students. Each team works every third night, with patrol members working in pairs in a different zone on campus, Moore said.

Student patrol officers work from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday. While their primary responsibility is to look out for the safety of students and faculty, they also provide escorts as an alternative to Safe Rides, a free ride service provided by the Office of Women’s Programs. Another responsibility of student patrol officers is to assist with the party patrol, which responds to noise complaints and gives warnings to residents before the police are called.

Kelly O’Leary, junior in LAS, has been a student patrol officer for four semesters. She heard about the job through friends and wanted to join the patrol because she is interested in a career in law enforcement. One of the job’s most hectic nights involved 13 separate calls to the party patrol, O’Leary said. Although it can be challenging if drunken students act obnoxious, O’Leary said she has learned to handle such difficult individuals because of her experience on the job.

O’Leary considers checking students’ welfare as one of her most important duties. Student patrol officers conduct welfare checks when they see students who are passed out or visibly having difficulty making their way home due to alcohol or other substance abuse. They then determine if the individual needs medical assistance or if police should be notified.

“They’ve seen people passed out in the oddest places that officers may never have been aware of,” Moore said.

Such places have included trees and bushes.

Student patrol officers also assist security at football games and may volunteer to work at basketball games and other sporting events. They also perform tasks such as checking outdoor emergency phones and looking for burnt out streetlights.

“Even though they are menial, these tasks are still important,” Moore said. “Student patrol officers save the midnight shift from having to do that.”

Each student patrol officer also has a radio and must be able to listen and understand police 10-codes, which officers use to save airtime on the radio. Student patrol officers are also trained to recognize drug paraphernalia. If a student patrol wishes to use a bicycle, they must also undergo four hours of bicycle safety training. However, training primarily occurs on the job, Moore said.

A potential student patrol officer must be a University student and willing to undergo a background check. It is also preferred that the student have a valid driver’s license. Moore said the student patrol is open to all types of students from all different backgrounds.

“We prefer it if you have an outgoing personality, however; we have a really eclectic group of people,” he said. “(A student patrol) should be able to think on their feet and prioritize.”

Moore also said student patrol provides a bridge between University students and police.

“This job gives them an opportunity to walk in our shoes,” Moore said.

Even though Berge said he always had a fair amount of respect for the police, he has seen firsthand how people often do not respect the police and their work.

“There have been nights we get made fun of,” Berge said.

However, Berge said he finds his job extremely rewarding because it allows him to give back to the community.

“They do a great service, and they probably don’t get the respect they deserve,” Moore said. “They are out there to make sure other people on campus are safe.”

ONLINE BOX: To apply for a student patrol officer position or for more information, go to the University Police Web site at www.dps.uiuc.edu/studentpatrol.html or stop by the University Police Department, 1110 W. Springfield Ave.