Michael Soto, with more than 20 years experience in public safety at Portland State University, took over Sept. 1 as interim director of the office. Soto heads a force of more than a dozen officers with the emphasis on community service and safety rather than mere security and enforcement.
Uniformed officers provide 24-hour patrolling of the campus. The office provides a variety of services, among them evening escorts, door unlocks, dead battery starts, bicycle registration, lost and found and parking lot assistance. Emergency response stations topped with blue lights are positioned throughout the campus and provide immediate response from Campus Public Safety.
Soto is a full-blooded Native American of the Ohlone tribe out of the Monterey, Calif. area. He came to Portland State after four years in the Marines’ military police. He has continued his studies in administration of justice and psychology at PSU. As for his role, he says, “We will continue to support the mission of the university with public service and support, being there as needed in a law enforcement and service capacity.”
The safety office, open 24-hours a day, is located in its own building at 1939 S.W. Broadway.