Two officers from the Department of Public Safety were honored during the 2019 Law Enforcement and Security Awards dinner hosted by the Omaha Heartland Chapter of ASIS International on Dec. 2. Community Outreach Officer Tim Herron received the Security Leadership Award and Public Safety Officer Adam Haakenson received the Security Officer Award. (Photo, from left, Mike Reiner, senior director of public safety; Tim Herron, community outreach officer; Adam Haakenson, public safety officer).
Officer Herron was recognized for his active involvement in many campus events. He was responsible for educating hundreds of students, faculty, and staff through campus safety presentations, with an emphasis on active assailant response and self-defense classes. He collaborated with Residence Life to initiate the Public Safety Liaison Officer program with the nine residence halls at Creighton. This innovative program allowed students to see Public Safety in a positive light as the officers conducted programs with the professional staff and students in each hall. Officer Herron also led the department’s initiative to market, distribute, and configure Peace of Mind (POM) personal safety devices for over 1,350 students and employees. Finally, Officer Herron played a key role in the execution of the annual Project Homeless Connect Omaha, planning for parking and security for an event that brings 700 persons experiencing homelessness and 500 volunteers to the Creighton campus for a variety of health and social services.
Officer Haakenson was recognized for his expert handling of multiple security and medical calls, including a foot pursuit of a theft suspect who threw a hammer at him! Fortunately, he was not injured, and the suspect was quickly arrested by Omaha Police on multiple charges. Haakenson has served on the University Staff Advisory Council and the University Disabilities Committee. He also serves as the Public Safety liaison to McGloin Hall, where he hosted “Mocktails with Public Safety,” as well as an ice cream social with students. He enjoys interacting with students in these social settings and represents the department in a positive light. Finally, Haakenson was selected as a Field Training Officer for his shift, where he will coach and teach new officers during their initial training period with the department.
ASIS International is a global community of over 34,000 security practitioners, each of whom has a role in the protection of assets—people, property, and/or information. The Heartland Omaha chapter is comprised of over 200 security professionals from the Omaha metropolitan area and the surrounding areas of Iowa and Nebraska. The chapter annually recognizes outstanding law enforcement and security professionals from the region. They also meet monthly to network and learn with their security colleagues.
