Cassi Shaffer is the university’s officer of the year. Credit: courtesy of Ohio State
Growing up in a household below the poverty line, Cassi Shaffer developed a passion to help those in need.
“As a child, we didn’t have a lot,” Shaffer said. “So, I learned the importance of helping other people when you can. I go out of my way to help people.”
That desire to help others is what drove Shaffer into law enforcement. She joined University Police in 2008, and 10 years later is the campus’ officer of the year.
Shaffer has a long resume of helping the Ohio State community.
She became a certified Rape Aggression Defense instructor in 2011 and a RAD team leader in 2013. Additionally, Shaffer has been involved in hundreds of hours of university safety programming involving topics such as on- and off-campus safety and workplace violence against women.
As the Crime Prevention officer within University Police, Schaffer developed and implemented a Community Police Academy in 2016, a free four-week program designed to give eligible community members an idea of what it’s like to protect and serve on campus.
Officer Shaffer stands with University President Michael Drake and Police Chief Craig Stone. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State
“Officer Shaffer helps our police division connect with the university community in her role as a crime prevention officer and as a certified instructor for our Rape Aggression Defense classes and Community Police Academy,” said University Police Chief Craig Stone.
In addition to her day-to-day duties, like patrolling campus and responding to incidents, Shaffer is assigned investigations.
“The best part of being a police officer is the ability to help others. We often are called to crime scenes or accidents but when we get a call that allows us to truly help someone, it brightens the day for both parties involved,” Shaffer said.
“One of my fondest memories as a police officer was helping a homeless man find shelter. I was happy to have been able to help,” she said.
Stone said Shaffer exemplifies University Police’s five key values: service, innovation, respect, integrity and diversity.
“It was a great feeling,” she said in response to winning the award. “There are so many great officers I work with here and to be recognized by them was really special. My family was also very happy for me. My wife couldn’t stop congratulating me.”
Correction: the spelling of Cassi’s name has been updated
