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6 - DECEMBER 2000/JANUARY 2001 MBCWO - 63 Years Of Communications - HBCUs Making The Connection In The 21st Century.
A Career in
Security
by Gary Faulkner
STAFF WRITER
The security and protection
of the Morris Brown College
faculty, staff and students,
make up the primary concern
of Chief Hendrix and the
Morris Brown Police Depart
ment.
Chief Hendrix, a ten-year
police officer with the college,
said, “My background in
counseling and having grad
uated from a historically
black college gave me a hun
ger and a desire to help young
black men and women who
were attempting to get an
education. I had something to
offer them. I suddenly realized
that that was my calling.”
His police career started
as a security officer and Air
Police officer with the U.S.
Air Force in 1970. He worked
with the Atlanta University
Center Police Department in
1980 after coming out of the
military. He policed the cam
puses of Morehouse, Spelman,
Clark, ITC, and Morris Brown
during his seven years with
them. Chief graduated from
Tennessee State University
with a degree in sociology in
1969. Chief worked with the
YMCA and its developmental
programs helping inner city
youth in Cleveland, OH, .
before getting drafted for
Vietnam War.
Chief Hendrix played a
key role in race relations and
counseling in the military
during a period when racial
tension was high. Chief Hen
drix said, “Because of my edu
cation background and my
working with young people I
was asked by the military to
assume that role. And I enjoy
ed that role while in the
military.”
The job of Chief Hendrix
and the other Morris Brown
College police officers differs
from Atlanta police officers,
in that they work for the
school. They are here to serve
the school, and to serve the
faculty, staff and students.
Chief Hendrix said, “My job is
trying to keep them focused.
We’re not here to slam bam
as Atlanta, Cobb County,
DeKalb County. We’re here to
try to keep our students from
getting into trouble.”
Chief Hendrix said part of
the gratification of his job is
seeing students who enter as
freshmen, go through their
learning experiences and grad
uate after their forth or fifth
year. Chief Hendrix said, “The
pleasure of watching them
walk across that stage, and
move that tassel from one
side of their head to the other
as they get their diploma is
one of the most beautiful
things in the world to experi
ence.” He said this applied
especially to students who
may have had' a lot of problems
and he may have thought
wouldn’t make it. There have
been situations with students
that required for them to be
put in jail. They try to avoid
this by allowing the school to
take disciplinary actions and
handle the issue.Chief Hen
drix said the school is very
adamant about certain crim
inal activities, such as fight
ing, domestic violence, threats,
alcohol and drugs. In most of
the cases involving these they
would request that the school
expel the studejnt.
Chief Hendrix said, “There
have been a few cases where
there have been hard knock
students and they’ve gone to
jail, and they’ve come back a
semester later, and they walk
up to me and say ‘I’m sorry.
You did the right thing. You
won’t have to worry about me
anymore. It’s been gratifying
to see that they refocus them
selves and began to remember
those things that brought
them and complete their
education.”
The media attention law
enforcement officers receive
sparked mixed feelings in
Chief Hendrix. He said some
of the negative things are
true, but he feels officers are
human beings like anyone
else and will error.
“We have some cops out there
who have some serious indis
cretion, but thank God that
most of them are decent
American citizens, who do
uphold the laws of our com
munity, society, and country,”
Chief Hendrix said.
“If it wasn’t for police, as
bad as we have them, we
would have to live in tyranny,
life in anarchy. There’s just
that thin line of blue, walking
the streets, patrolling the
streets, that keep us from
being a very serious, corrupt
and unbalanced society.”
The police department
received great support from
Morris Brown College presi
dent, Dr. Delores Cross, who
expresses a major concern
about security and protection
of students. It was her ideas
to put the police department
in the dorm, where they felt
the major problem was on
campus. “She has done well
with us in making sure that
we have funds to finance our
vacant positions so we can
have enough pohce on campus.
There are a lot of issues that
remain to be developed as far
as our commitment to security
on campus and our new presi
dent has given her word that
she’s going to do whatever she
can to increase the security
and law enforcement protec
tion on this campus,” Chief
Hendrix said.
“I believe her. I’m one of
her avid followers,” Chief
Hendrix said, “She’s shown
me she’s a woman of her
word.”
A majority of the problems
that arise on the campus stem
from individuals coming from
off campus. Chief Hendrix felt
a large part of this was from
major streets, such as Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive, Vine
Street, Mitchell Street and
Sunset Street running
through the campus. Chief
Hendrix said, “Generally
when we have any bust with
marijuana or weapons its off
campus people on our campus.”
He said this indicates to him
that they need a strong police
force to protect the campus.
Chief Hendrix felt the
security cameras mounted in
various places around
campus has helped them to
secure and protect the
interest of the campus.
YOUNG>
GiFTed &
Black and
that’s a
FACT!
Don't Waste Your Gift.
HELP KEEP
THE A UC
CAMPUS
CLEAN
Throw it
in the trash A
cans not on
the campus °COLLEG?
grounds.
Photo: Christian Witkin. ©2000 NCPTP
sex has consequenceslwww.teenpregnancy.org"