There’s a new sheriff in town

Photo by Venessa Menerey. New Public Safety hire, Richard Morman seated in plain clothes.
Photo by Venessa Menerey.
New investigator hired by Public Safety, Richard Morman.

Richard Morman is the newest investigator for Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Public Safety, but law enforcement is anything but new for him.

For the 2014 fall semester, Public Safety hired Morman to fill an investigator opening left by Art Reitz. Morman joins David Blake, another P.S. investigator.

With 34 years of experience in law enforcement, Morman began his career in Amanda, Ohio, before working for several years as a special deputy sheriff before being hired by the Ohio State University. There, he held several positions including patrol officer, investigator, patrol lieutenant and investigators lieutenant.

His experience is one of the reasons why Public Safety director Bob Wood wanted Morman on staff.

“He’s got a wealth of knowledge and he’s done this for years in nearly every capacity you can do,” Wood said.

Mormon said he hopes to bring new insight to the department.

“I think I bring fresh perspective and a fresh set of eyes. It’s always nice to have somebody come in from the outside and question ‘Why are we doing this?’ and ‘Is this really the best thing to do?” Morman said.

As an investigator, Morman’s main responsibility is examining reports that Public Safety has received.

“When I come in everyday one of the first things I do is look at the reports that we’ve taken,” Morman said. “I’m looking for patterns in crime. If you’re an officer working a certain shift, you might not notice.”

Morman also shared his willingness to interact and educate students.

“I really enjoy talking to students, and working in this environment,” he said. “I think Public Safety is necessity.”

Morman also helps with various special projects and has expertise with large-scale events. Currently, Morman works part time at OWU and in the midst of transitioning out of OSU.

Morman can be contacted during normal hours at the Public Safety office in Smith lobby. He can also be reached by email at rdmorman@owu.edu.

NOTE: The Ohio Wesleyan University Department of Public Safety webpage does not reflect most current staffing and contact information