Staff Writer
The Office of Safety and Security plays a central role at FSC, with campus safety personnel interacting everyday with students, faculty and visitors. The Maida & Billy Pou Safety Center is located in the heart of campus, making it a visible and accessible resource for the campus community. In addition to responding to safety concerns, the office assists students with services such as purchasing parking passes and replacing student IDs.
A big part of safety is the connection between the resource officers and students. All students normally become very comfortable with all safety personnel and know who to call if they need help.
Multiple officers on campus have created strong relationships with students and faculty by being around on campus. Most officers drive in golf carts around campus in order to be accessible to anyone in need of a ride to their destination or simply stop for a moment and have a conversation about what’s going on in a student’s personal life. These relationships have created a healthy connection between law enforcement and civilians on Florida Southern’s campus.
Officer Dagon Leach has worked at FSC for five years and has enjoyed getting to communicate with everyone, no matter what season of life they are in. Officer Leach first started at Florida Southern College after COVID-19 and students had begun returning to campus. At the time Officer Leach came to campus, there was only one police officer and he was asked to cover the other officer’s medical leave.
During his time working, he really began to enjoy the close relationships he was able to form with everyone.
“It was a nice relief from all the daily crime,” Leach said. “When I came to the school, it was a breath of fresh air.”
He is very well known among students and professors on campus. He can be seen at many sporting events, supporting students and cheering on all FSC teams. Everyday entails something but starts the same as he comes in the morning, checks on his co-workers, and begins the day. He gears up with his radio, walkie-talkie and his earpieces in order to stay in close communication with the safety office. Once he gets a call, he is out the door to go help anybody and everybody.
From simple check-ins to sit-down conversations, he is thankful for all of it.
“It helps me get an idea of what is going on around campus and further understand what people could be going through,” Leach said in an interview.
Officer Leach specifically loves working with young adults because he enjoys mentoring them and having genuine conversations about what they are involved in on campus.
“It has been my passion to guide you all and have everyone understand that there is more than handcuffs to handle a situation,” Leach said.
Aside from his time serving the local community, he truly enjoys the deep connections he holds with FSC and all of its people. He hopes to continue deepening his connections with everyone on campus and looks forward to many more years of growth and learning among the community.
