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Ferris Board of Trustees Honors Department of Public Safety

pictureBIG RAPIDS – The Ferris State University Board of Trustees has bestowed upon the University’s Department of Public Safety a Certificate of Recognition in honor of the department’s 50th anniversary Oct. 22, 2008.

Ferris Institute’s Board of Control appointed the school’s first security officer, Edward C. Johnston, on Oct. 22, 1958. Fifty years later, the department has grown to include 14 sworn officers, two civilian police cadets and seven support staff.

“I am pleased to accept this honor,” DPS Director Chief Marty Bledsoe said. “Fifty years is a huge milestone in our society. It is a very satisfying feeling to have a direct effect on peoples’ lives. The connection between the department and the community’s appreciation of being well cared for breathes life into what we do.”

The board recognized the department’s long-standing and consistent leadership and dedication to serve and protect students, faculty, staff and Ferris visitors, and to further academic pursuits at Ferris by keeping people and property safe.

“We are committed to excellence, and two of the most important aspects of our mission are keeping people safe and keeping people feeling safe,” Bledsoe added.