Twenty years ago, the department was certified, making it an officially recognized police department. As such, they have the same power and training as any non- campus agency. They have the jurisdiction to patrol the university and surrounding areas and, as a state agency, are able to handle situations related to the s tate. Policing a college campus presents unique opportunities and challenges for officers. Although there is an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 people at CSUN, including s tudents, faculty, staff and visitors, who are on campus daily, the nature of campus activity allows officers to interact more with people on campus.
Campus police have a wider variety of duties compared to other agencies.
On any given day, officers may have to deal with professors who might have lost keys to their classes, people needing to know where various buildings are or eve n a simple shoulder to cry on, in addition to handling campus. During his year-long stint there, he was consistently subjected to overtime, was nearly shot twice and was developing an ulcer. Perhaps best known for escorting students after dark, the duties of the CSOs, like the police department itself, have also expanded. Perhaps because of that, many former CSO's have found success after graduating in areas other than law enforcement. But there are always those who wish to continue working in law enforcement.