Staff Editorial: Thank You, Major Dean

Major Robert Dean, a fixture in the Duke University Police Department for 41 years, retired Tuesday. His departure left a tremendous void in the DUPD, and he will long be remembered as one of the premier officers in DUPD history. Dean's legacy will live on in the lives of the students, faculty, staff and employees he worked to keep safe, and the lives he touched with his efforts in the community.

Dean's contributions to campus safety over the years have been numerous and distinguished. Dean served as DUPD's criminal investigations commander and minority relations and community affairs commander and spokesperson. The breadth of his responsibilities and the dedication and skill with which he managed them stood as an example to other members of the force. In fact, the DUPD has decided that Dean's role was too big to be filled by one person, so the segments of his former jurisdiction will be divided amongst several officers.

Dean's major initiative during his tenure focused on improving relations between DUPD officers and the community. Despite the fact that police officers are acting to ensure that members of the community remain safe, their position as enforcers of the law often puts them at odds with individuals, especially students. When students misunderstand and mistrust the DUPD, they can be disrespectful and are less likely to follow the rules. To combat this problem, Dean took the necessary step of organizing face-to-face discussions between students and officers. These discussions included members of many of the groups on campus, such as Mi Gente, the Intra-Fraternity Council and the Black Student Alliance. Due largely to Dean's efforts, students and officers have come to understand one another better.

While Dean's role as a police officer stands out, his interactions with members of the Duke and Durham community are also worthy of recognition. As an African-American, Dean took pride in serving as a role model for the black community on campus, and attributed the length of his tenure to his desire to aid in Duke's ongoing attempts to increase campus diversity. In addition, Dean, along with his wife Sandra, opened their home to several foster children, and their house was designated as an "emergency shelter" by child protective services. One would be hard-pressed to find another family that has served the greater community as willingly or for as long as the Deans.