Kent State Police Services

Vance Voyles wears many hats in addition to his Kent State University police cap.   A former Orange County, Florida, homicide detective and a United States Army veteran, Voyles has been patrolling campus since 2014.   When he’s not working to keep the Kent Campus safe, Voyles can be found in the classroom where he works as an adjunct professor teaching Story for Film for the digital media production major in the School of Media and Journalism within the College of Communication and Information.   Now, the 51-year-old is adding the title of author to his resume,...

The Kent State University Police Department was recently awarded national accreditation for the ninth time by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA) in the Law Enforcement program. The Kent State Police Department was first accredited in 1991. Following four annual documentation reviews and a meticulous site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA assessors, the Kent State Police Department was presented for review at CALEA’s 2020 Conference. Each agency being reviewed goes before CALEA’s 21-member Bo...

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kent State University and the city of Kent have an important message to share with the community members and those outside the area concerning the upcoming Halloween weekend: Do not hold or attend mass gatherings of more than 10 people who are not in your household. This guidance also applies to the week leading up to Halloween and the days following the holiday, which typically bring a great many outsiders to Kent for the weekend.   Kent Police, the Kent City Health Department and university leaders are urging community members and students to refra...

The Kent State University Police Department is scheduled for a virtual assessment as part of a program to achieve international reaccreditation. Administered by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), the program requires agencies to meet state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services. As a part of the assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information hearing on Monday, July 27, at 1 p.m. The session will be conducted virtua...

He's only 4 years old, yet he's already certain of what he wants to do when he grows up. That by itself is pretty amazing. Patrick Tomaswick wants to be a police officer, but not just any member of law enforcement. He wants to be a Kent State University police officer. So much so that he wears his own Kent State police uniform to his preschool Zoom classes.  On days that his mother, LeighAnn, drops him off at Kent State's Child Development Center, Patrick's first glance is for the officer who waves and welcomes him to begin his day. His favorite is Officer Joe Knotek. ...

Sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, is the leading cause of natural death in the United States. It claims an estimated 325,000 lives each year. When the heart stops beating, every second counts to get the person the help they need. If not treated quickly, sudden cardiac arrest usually results in death. To help people survive from sudden cardiac arrest, the city of Kent has partnered with Kent State University and University Hospitals Portage Medical Center to offer PulsePoint Respond. PulsePoint Respond is a smartphone app designed to support publi...

Kent State University Police Services is celebrating the five-year anniversary – or the 35 dog-year anniversary – of its first K-9 unit, which features 7-year-old German Shepherd Coco and her handler, Officer Anne Spahr. “She is very high spirited, very high energy and very smart,” Officer Spahr said. “She is a phenomenal work dog, very focused and thorough, but quick. I have to stay on my toes to keep up with her.” Coco was the first police dog at Kent State. She is now one of two police dogs at the university, later joined by a Belgian Malinois named Dexter. Dexter's handler...

Officers from Kent State University Police Services have always had a “protect and serve” philosophy, and recently, they put this philosophy in action in order to help families in need. Each year, the department holds a “Glow, Grow and Give” fundraiser throughout the month of November to raise money for a worthy cause. The staff members can donate $30, and in return, they may grow out beards (for men), dye their hair pink or blue or paint their fingernails. “These are things that are normally against department regulation, so it’s a real treat for us to be able to express ourselves,” Off...

Kent State University has been ranked one of the safest campuses in the country by the Council for Home Safety and Security, a national trade association. Kent State was named to the council’s 2017 top 100 list of Safest Colleges in America. Nationwide, Kent State ranks 11th on the list. Among Ohio institutions, Kent State ranks the safest. The ranking was determined by the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Center for Education Statistics. More than 2,000 four-year colleges and universities were assessed. Dean Tondiglia, Kent State’s police chief...

Kent State University has been ranked one of the safest campuses in the country by the Council for Home Safety and Security, a national trade association. Kent State was named to the council’s 2017 top 100 list of Safest Colleges in America. Nationwide, Kent State ranks 11th on the list. Among Ohio institutions, Kent State ranks the safest. The ranking was determined by the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Center for Education Statistics. More than 2,000 four-year colleges and universities were assessed. Dean Tondiglia, Kent State’s police chief...