Being personable and having the ability to talk to anyone are just two of the exceptional qualities Charles Edelen, IUS Police Chief, said the IUS Police new hire exhibits.

With years of experience and the desire to work with others, Ken Christian, the new IU Southeast Police officer is excited to join the IUS Police Department.

“It’s all about the challenge,” Christian said.

After 22 years on the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), Christian said he decided to seek new opportunities and expand his knowledge by joining the IUS Police.

In his time at LMPD, Christian said he worked as a Federal Department of Transportation Inspector, an Accident Reconstructionist, a Patrol Officer, and more. He had the opportunity to gain strong experience in many different fields of police work. Now, he said he hopes to share his experience at IU Southeast, as well as gain knowledge and build relationships with students, faculty, and staff.

With over two decades of experience, Christian said he feels there is a lot that he can contribute to the IUS Police Department.

Two of the greatest contributions Christian said he could bring to IU Southeast include the training he had as an LMPD Officer and the things he saw while working for LMPD.

Although he has many years experience on the LMPD, Christian said he hopes to become more familiar with Indiana practices.

Something Christian found to be particularly exciting to learn is the penalty system and terminology of Kentucky law versus Indiana law.

Christian said he was excited to see how things are worded because he always wants to keep learning. With 22 years of experience in Kentucky law, he wants the chance to gain some knowledge in Indiana law. He said that the terminology is different from low-level misdemeanors, all the way to high-level felonies, so he he will have a substantial amount to study.

“Over there in Kentucky they call them violations,” Christian said. “Here they call them infractions. You get to learn different things … and how they break things up.”

Alongside learning Indiana Law, Edelen said Christian will also have to complete the Indiana Law Enforcement Waiver Process. Edelen said the process has many different aspects including defensive tactics and firearm training.

Also, as a Kentucky native, Christian said he is still getting familiar with the area, but he said he has enjoyed exploring New Albany.

To prepare for his position at IU Southeast, Christian said he has been training on first shift to check parking and help with service calls throughout the campus.

“So far we’ve gone out and they showed me around everywhere so I can get to know what is going on,” Christian said.

In his training on first shift, Christian encountered an issue when checking the parking lot.

“We had to enforce the handicap parking,” Christian said. “We had some people who should not have been parking handicap.”

Christian said the next steps in his training will include him going to the overnight shift to see what they do and to continue training in the areas he is familiar with. Then, he will join second shift staff for his final training and to settle in to his new position.

Excited about what is to come, Christian said, “We’ll be out there being proactive.”

Christian said he truly enjoys his career as a police officer because he gets the opportunity to go out and communicate with people. At IU Southeast, he plans to be able to get around campus and meet and talk to students.

“You get to go out and you get to interact with people instead of being in one place,” Christian said.

“I am happy to be here,” Christian said. “When I retired, it was like a lot of people go to the Sheriff’s office or U of L … but knowing that somebody here wanted me to come … because they know who I am and what I do and they felt I would be a great asset her, that really influenced me to come over here.”

After working with Christian in the past, Edelen was interested in potentially hiring Christian because he knew he could bring great things to IU Southeast.

“He has always impressed me with his professionalism and motivation,” Edelen said. “I was very excited when he told me we would be able to work together again.”

Christian will be working second shift at IUS Police Department in University Center North 027. He will also be across campus as he completes his duties as a new Officer on the IU Southeast Police Department.