Congratulations are the order of the day for Capt. Reid Noble, left, commander of support services for Tulane public safety, with New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Warren J. Riley at a ceremony giving NOPD commissions to officers from Tulane and seven other academic institutions.

Tulane University public safety officers put their hands up for a good cause on Thursday (April 26) as they were sworn in as New Orleans police officers along with their colleagues from six other local colleges and universities.

Warren J. Riley, superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, made local law enforcement history when he administered the oath of office to the campus officers, including those from both the Tulane uptown and health sciences center departments.

All the officers who received commissions will be empowered to work in neighborhoods beyond their campuses.

"This makes good sense for NOPD, and it solidifies the partnership we already have," said Capt. Reid Noble, commander of support services for the Tulane public safety office. "We've always had full police powers, but in the past our officers were commissioned by the state for the campus and contiguous streets.

"At Tulane we've always worked very closely with the commander of the NOPD Second District (where the Tulane uptown campus is located). We share information, we meet together weekly, we attend neighborhood meetings together monthly. We respond jointly to any incident that involves a student. This just makes the operation seamless."

In January of this year, responding to a request from Tulane, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Riley approved an expansion of the jurisdiction for Tulane uptown public safety officials.

Previously, the jurisdiction of Tulane officers stretched only to contiguous streets bordering the uptown campus. Tulane now has approval to patrol regularly in the uptown area bordered by Jefferson, South Claiborne, South Carrollton and St. Charles avenues.

Noble said the expanded jurisdiction was important because Tulane students travel within those neighborhoods, in both directions.

Tulane Public Safety has hired seven new officers to go along with the larger responsibilities, expanding the number of commissioned officers to 39.

In order to be weapons-carrying officers, all Tulane officers have to be certified through accredited academies and complete a minimum of 320 hours of training approved by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, mandated by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement.

"This is a show of respect and confidence by NOPD in our officers," Noble added. "Our officers can do the policing, but they also have the polish to interact with our faculty, staff and students, our Tulane community."

The commissioning ceremony, held at the University of New Orleans, was presided over by Tim Ryan, UNO chancellor. It marked a milestone for Noble, a Tulane alumna who retired several years ago after a 23-year career with NOPD. Hired by Ken Dupaquier, director of public safety at Tulane, Noble oversees campus crime prevention, victim resources, training, policies and procedures and safety.

"I feel like I've come full circle," Noble said. "I'm back at my alma mater, doing what I love, and now I'm sworn back into my original law enforcement agency."