A familiar face has returned to the Kent State Police Department after a brief absence.

Alice Ickes, former crime prevention officer for the KSUPD, recently returned to the department as the crime prevention specialist.

Ickes, who has served at the KSUPD for more than 27 years, retired in December 2008 only to come back to her new position last month.

“It was a mutual agreement,” Ickes said of her retirement. “At my age and stage of life, I thought (the new job) would be a better fit. I’m blessed to work for a department that agreed and found use for my talents and experience.”

Ickes said some of her duties as a crime prevention specialist are “working with any and all parts of the university community to resolve problems that are crime related.”

She also listed programming, security surveys and media relations as big parts of the job. The only difference between this position and her old one is she is “no longer working shifts or working the road in the capacity of a police officer,” she said.

“I’ll miss the additional contact with people,” Ickes said of her old job. “But because I had to work the road, I’ve kind of gotten over that part of it.”

Although she was employed by the KSUPD in the past, Ickes still had to go through a formal application for the position. Ickes cited her many years of experience as the main reason she is fit for her new position.

“Experience is very helpful,” she said. “Knowing the ropes and knowing the people in the community is important.”

Ickes said one of the most exciting new projects she is working on is helping the Provost’s Office with Destination Kent State. She said she wants the incoming students to view the police officers as a resource and not just “fun busters.”

“One of our major challenges is getting the new student population familiar with the fact that we have our own police department,” she said. “They need to see us as more than just cops. We’re a resource to the community in many ways.”

Contact safety reporter Cody Francis at [email protected].