ST. GEORGE —Dixie State’s Department of Public Safety continues to be recognized as a leader in community policing as evidenced by an award recently presented to Director Blair Barfuss in honor of the department’s efforts to incorporate practices honoring the value that diversity brings to a university, which continues to attract international students from across the globe.

The First Responder Award as part of the 37th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Rosa Parks Commemoration was presented to Barfuss on Jan. 18 in recognition of the director’s extensive efforts to develop strategies and policies designed to strengthen the relationship between the police department and the campus community made up of more than 12,000 students.

The director was nominated for the award by Dr. Tasha Toy, assistant vice president of campus diversity and chief diversity officer at Dixie State.

Toy told St. George News it was the significant impact the director’s efforts has made on the university’s community that inspired her to send the letter of nomination. She went on to say his focus has been not only in establishing policies and procedures on paper, but he has also implemented these changes and is involved in the academic community in a real world sense.

“There’s something to be said for officers who walk the beat, so to speak,” Toy said. “But he is definitely one that believes in taking an active role and integrating into the community here.”

The award recognizes transparency between the department and the community, as well as “a reimagining” of police services that support diversity and equality, fundamental elements that form the foundation for any community policing program that works.

While the names of the individuals selected for the award were released on that Monday, Barfuss said he was not aware he was selected as one of the recipients until one of his colleagues sent a photo of the award in a text to his phone. He also said the highest compliment comes from the community that has placed its trust in his department.

In the wake of the George Floyd incident, there has been a national effort to change the way police departments function, and for Dixie State’s public safety department, that task is ongoing amid the school’s ever-changing landscape as the institution continues to attract international students, an expansion that has been significant in both “size and scope,” Barfuss said.

As such, the ongoing training his officers receive includes exercises in de-escalation, one of the primary techniques to enhance public safety by reducing the stressors that can quickly escalate a situation, as well as crisis management training to address police encounters where mental health issues are involved.

The first task when Barfuss started with the department was to develop and create a manual outlining policies and procedures to govern the officers employed within the department. While it took a great deal of time to complete, it also saves the department a significant amount of time since the protocols are outlined and can be referred to whenever needed.

He also said that many of the key points and policies were already in place when the incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota took place, which are also outlined on the department’s website that he created both as a resource for the students and to enhance transparency within the department.

From there, he said, they attended forums and discussions with students, some of whom participated in the protests over the summer, and listening to them discussing the issues that were important to them, including topics like defunding the police, he said he was able to get a glimpse into the their  perspective, which also allowed for an exchange of ideas. Through that process he was able to address their concerns and create strategies that would both serve to enhance public safety, while also maintaining an open line of communication between the department and the student body.

“There is a feeling to public safety,” Baruss said. “So we had to figure out from their perspective what it means to feel safe here.”

Moreover, it takes input from the community to decide what is important in terms of public safety, so a department that is successful uses input from the community to determine what they view as important. From there, they then develop laws and standards to enhance public safety and create a path for open communication between the citizens and the officers sworn to protect them.

“We certainly can’t do it without them,” he added.

Toy shared similar comments, adding that Barfuss has participated in the forums and also spoken to many students who may have a different perception of law enforcement, many of whom are attending the university from out of state. It has also helped to bridge the gap between the Black Lives Matter movement and Blue Lives Matter, for example, and lets the students know “there are humans on both sides,” she said.

The department is committed to continuing to be be a transparent law enforcement agency in an effort to advance equality and advocacy for all students – irrespective of race, creed or color, Barfuss said. Part of that effort is outlined on the department’s webpage under the “transparency” section entitled the “8 Can’t Wait” initiative, which define the department’s policies and long-standing approach to community, training, support and safety at the university.

NAACP Utah

The NAACP in Utah aims to improve the political, educational, social and economic status of minority groups, which, in turn, helps to eliminate racial prejudice, increases public awareness to the adverse affects of racial discrimination and takes lawful action to secure its elimination – consistent with the efforts of the national organization.

Despite the organization’s name, many may not be aware that the NAACP is a civil rights non-profit group that is vested in equal rights and justice for all, illustrating that element is the first objective in the opening of the the organization’s constitution, which says the NAACP exists “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens.”

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