As Shaquille Belson raised his hand in oath for the second time, he not only swore loyalty to his badge but also to the student community.

Belson is an alumnus who renewed his oath as a campus police officer at Wednesday’s ceremony in the library.

Belson has worked for ULM PD for almost two years and said he’s excited about the new officers on board.

“It allows fresh ideas,” said Belson, a corporal for the ULM PD. “That’s the whole thing about change. Change is tweaking what you already have to make it work better.”

Belson has  gotten to know his new co-workers and said he is confident they will work well together.

“These people are great guys, they care about you and have kids of their own,” said Belson, a corporal for the ULM PD. “They just want things to be cool, calm and collective.”

Belson said his goal from “day one” has not only been the safety of students but gaining their trust as well.

“When a student is in distress, that student will remember my name, face and it will deescalate the situation like that,” Belson said.

Belson said that law enforcement has been “black-eyed” over the years and building quality relationships with students is important.

“We’re at a point right now that it’s been in turmoil and change needs to come, and it has to be productive change to get a good eye back on law enforcement,”Belson said.

Belson said he plans to contribute to that productivity by passing on his experience to the new officers.

“I tell them stuff the older guys told me because these guys have been doing this so long that obviously they’ve been doing something right,” Belson said.

Miranda Dees is one of the new officers who was sworn in and said she is pleased with her new job so far.

“They have a really good department,” said Dees. “They encourage training and good communication, so it’s a good job here.”

Dees also said she is eager to start working with Torregrossa on forming  a closer relationship with students.

“I think it’s important to be able to communicate with students and to be able to support them,” Dees said.

Belson couldn’t agree more with Dees and said in order for campus police to reach that mutuality with students, communication is vital.

“Conversation is the key to the heart. If you find out what someone’s heart is you find out what they’re thinking and it really helps,” Belson said.