Ever since the Boone DMACC campus has reopened its doors for face-to-face classes, there has been someone there to make sure those doors stay open. And in some cases, locked.
Bruce Lasch, 61, is a full-time security officer who originally started working at the Ankeny campus in September of 2019, but transferred to the Boone campus last semester.
“I liked Ankeny a lot. But up here, I like the closeness of the community,” he said.
Bruce expressed that it is easier to build relationships on campus.
“Even though I was there for three years, I bet I probably didn’t even know a third of the staff that actually is on campus or the students for that matter,” he said. “So I was really looking forward (to working here) because the school systems I’ve worked in were smaller schools kind of like this.”
He continued, “I’ve heard this place was kind of special. Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I actually took the position because I’d come up here for some basketball games, and work some of those when the previous officer wasn’t here . . . so I got a chance to go full time up here, and I grabbed it.”
He said it has gone well so far.
“I found that my experience to this point has been very positive. Staff has been very inviting. The students are very friendly, very respectful,” he said.
The day starts early no matter the weather.
“Every day when I come in, I get here at 6:30 AM or 7:00 AM. I’m actually responsible for opening up all the doors and making sure that the building has been secured,” he said. “So there’s 36 points on this campus that we go through, including student housing, we check that every day. We’ll do that at least once a shift. I’ll do walkthroughs a couple of times a day.”
Besides doing walkthroughs, there is a more obvious side to the job for Bruce that is often overlooked.
“And the biggest part of my job probably even though it doesn’t look like we’re doing a lot is just being a presence,” he said. “So I try to vary it just a little bit and one of the one things we will have to do with our patrols are not to be real predictable.”
Born in Ohio, Bruce lived there with his two siblings and parents until he was six. His family moved to Chicago until he was in eighth grade. After finishing the eighth grade, Bruce and his family made their final move to Springfield, Illinois where he attended high school.
Bruce graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in natural resource management and a Master’s degree in criminal justice. After graduating, Bruce held various positions within the Springfield School District.
“I actually worked for the Springfield Urban League for a couple of years,” he said. “I got exposed to a lot of different diverse communities doing that job. And that was really beneficial to learning how to accept other people’s cultures and learn about them.”
Bruce ran the Boys and Girls Club in Springfield, and then ran the Boys and Girls Club in St. Charles. In addition, Bruce worked security at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
Besides looking tough, Bruce has some other things he likes to do off campus.
“Actually, one of my passions is to be outdoors,” he said. “I love to go camping and fishing. I’m not a real big hunter, but I love the outdoors.”
Bruce also loves to spend time with his beloved tabby cat, Binky.
Students, staff, and faculty can catch Bruce making his daily rounds Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM or at his kiosk on the east end of the Courter Center.
DMACC Security Phone Number: 515-964-6500
Photo credit: Pragul Siva
Instagram: @theuglyphotograph