Readers, Daiyu Tang here with another profile of one of Hathian’s Citizens! As many of you know I like to meet interesting people who move to Hathian. Maybe I want to see if there’s a diamond in the rough, maybe I want to warn them about Tori and those like her! In either case, I was delighted when I spotted a new police officer on campus and, hoping that the CUPD would prove a bit more open to Q&A than the Hathian PD, I approached him near the CUPD offices for a quick interview.
Interview with Officer Exley
The CUPD building is not in any way the same size or scale as the HPD itself, despite officially CUPD being a part of the wider HPD organisation. CUPD itself is contained underneath a social space within the Columtreal campus and as far as I was allowed to see has an open plan office area, a private interview or office room and then a jail cell. I’m not entirely sure that students on campus need to have a jail cell for their misbehaviour, but I guess as an interim step to maybe transporting the odd drunk towards HPD it works… then again, Columtreal has been the site of some pretty grizzly events… not to mention fires, ‘accidental deaths‘, hostage taking and Hathian Gangs ruining events… So actually, maybe the campus isn’t quite as safe as I thought? Hmmm!
Anyway, meeting Exley at the office I was immediately confronted with his British accent (Northern I might add) and while I’m a Cambridge girl, it was nice to hear the familiar accent of my home country! After some pleasantries we got down to it:
Daiyu Tang: “How should I refer to you… Officer what? And you mention you’re dual hatting so to speak, have you seen any differences already? Between HPD and CUPD?”
Officer Exley: “Well, I’m Officer Liam Exley and I transferred from NYPD to HPD only recently; NYPD in this case being North Yorkshire Police! My impressions so far are that CUPD is like a security detail for privileged students and HPD comes in and supports them on the very rare occasion an arrest or citation needs making.”
Judging by some of the history that is recorded in this very own paper, I wondered if Officer Exley might be underestimating how often HPD is needed down on campus. There’s only so much reliance you can place on the fact that Bones and Rejects and so on are too lazy to walk over!
Daiyu: “Oh, from Yorkshire? I’m from down South originally. Cambridge way. Nice to see and hear a Brit over here… Ok, Officer Exley, so where is your focus, is it here on campus, or is it in Hathian? If it’s in Hathian, what do you make of the change or changes from policing in England? Things are fairly… different here right?”
Exley: “So, feel free to call me Liam! Ok, so you asked on my focus; it’s on supporting the Campus Security team and being like a community liaison here on campus. It’s a very different space, we don’t get a lot of guns in England, but they’re available at your big box supermarket here. I’m always on the look out for that kind of trouble. If there’s one thing we’re strict on is that CU is a no firearm place!”
Daiyu: “That’s very true and very sensible. Guns and students don’t mix at all… I’m glad to know you’re on the lookout! Now… ok, can you tell me what students should do, how they should contact you and what kinda things you will deal with here for them? Maybe you have a juicy story of some crime or issues you’ve already solved?”
Exley: “Students need to look out for themselves and ensure they’re safe. Especially when out partying, if any student wants help they can come to our office on campus near the dorms and pool. I have only just moved here, no juicy stories yet!”
Reader, I think with those cameras (did us students really agree to CCTV in the dorm corridors and some other areas I’d expect a bit more privacy?) he’s not going to be short on Juicy stories for long!
Daiyu: “Boring! No juicy stories here, that’s fine… how about a Yorkshire anecdote then? Or maybe you can tell me a bit about your likes, hobbies, that kinda thing? Help our readers understand you’re not just a uniform!”
Exley: “In England as well as being a Police officer I worked with disadvantaged youth, helping the avoid the criminal justice system and navigate it when they didn’t. I have been speaking with the team down at Seaside and plan on volunteering my time with our young people. I married with no children, my wife is called Emma, we’re high school sweet hearts. I also enjoy spinning the wheels of steel, Deejaying from time to time!”
A DJ? A selfless police officer? CU students, you better keep him on campus as much as possible before Hathian proper gets into him…
Exley: “I don’t know anything of this reputation about HPD or Hathian though; I’m here to work with the campus and do as Brass tell me. I’m here to serve and protect the public and not my career. I get a buzz from justice and education!”
Reflecting
So… an English officer in a small town city in America… seems sweet on the surface and comes across in exactly the way you’d want your local community officer in England… but this is Hathian! Who in their right mind transfers here without researching the… situation. Well, call me slightly jaded, but maybe there’s more to Officer Exley than meets the eye? Even if there isn’t… I am not sure how long someone like this can stay the way he is… as he notes, he’s officially part of HPD, even he’s on the CUPD beat… how long until a student is in that cell and someone less savoury takes an interest?
You can follow Exley on his Twitter here where at last review he had this to say:
“Just wrapped up a long night shift patrolling the streets of Hathian. Stay safe out there, and remember, the Hathian Police Department is always here to protect and serve. #HathianPD #ProtectAndServe #OfficerLiam“
Officer Exley’s Twitter
Oh dear, but the part of me that wants it all to be true is rooting for him! Hope you get a chance to meet him readers! – GBTL
