Our very own Officer Jacob Chamberlain has seen quite a bit in his day. By the time he left the Navy he had been to 13 countries and all across the United States. So how could his journeys have led him to Middlebury Vermont, watching gaggles of drunken kids trip across Battel Beach every Saturday night? The fact is Chamberlain is a native to the area — he attended Middlebury Union High School and then attended the University of Vermont before joining the Navy, an experience which he feels has greatly helped him as a Public Safety officer.
“It was a great experience,” said Chamberlain. “It made me grow up, made me learn responsibility, accountability, dealing with people ... and I use that to deal with students and even faculty and staff.”
Working as a night officer especially, Chamberlain finds himself employing his people skills when interacting with students.
“Night is pretty busy because you have to learn how to deal with situations, You gotta keep a cool head,” he said, “you get the few who get rude and that’s the part that’s a little hard to get used to.”
However, Chamberlain’s past experiences have also helped him identify with the students and adopt his mantra of complete fairness.
“When we were overseas we partied and had a good time and [I] see that a lot here but it’s from a different angle and now [I’m] supposed to be taking care of them. That’s why I think I’m fair to people,” said Chamberlain, “I treat people with respect and I expect the same. Be firm but fair. If they’re doing something wrong you can give them a break maybe … but you can’t give them breaks all the time otherwise they’ll take advantage of you.”
Chamberlain’s experiences in the Navy are in fact what led him to be a Public Safety officer. After leaving the service his past training in security made this job an obvious choice. Chamberlain took a job at McIntosh College in Dover, N.H.
“Working at McIntosh College I really liked working with students and faculty” said Chamberlain.
So when after working there for a year, the school closed down and he returned to Middlebury to work at the College.
While Chamberlain’s goals are mainly “getting in 10-15 years” so that he can retire and go fishing, he enjoys the day-to-day life of being a Public Safety officer.
“[My favorite part] is helping somebody and getting acknowledged for it,” he said. “We give people escorts, we do vehicle lock outs. Just to help somebody and have [him] say ‘thank you’ makes it all worthwhile.”
Getting to Know: Officer Jake
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