WVU alum returns to campus with UPD
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Just a few years after graduating from West Virginia University with a criminology degree, Nolan Mattern is back on campus, this time in a University Police Department uniform.
The Wheeling native is one of the newest UPD officers and begins the academic year serving the same campus community he once called home as a student.
Mattern previously worked for the U.S. Department of Justice in Clarksburg before his desire for a more hands-on position in law enforcement led him to UPD.
"I grew up around law enforcement. My grandfather was a police officer in Wheeling throughout his career before he retired, so I kind of already know what the job entails. UPD has been great at training me to be ready for everything this year," Ofc. Mattern said.
"I'm looking forward to helping people out, including any students who maybe aren't having the best experiences or who need our assistance for whatever reason."
For Mattern, making a difference starts with approaching people with empathy.
"It's important to remember that there are people who maybe just made a bad mistake, or who might be dealing with something they don't want to deal with," he said. "You have to just keep an open mind and treat people the way you want to be treated."
Building relationships with students is an important part of UPD's approach on campus.
"The big thing we do at UPD is community policing. We like to get out, walk around, be visible, and talk to people so they feel comfortable with us so that if we ever were to show up, it's not always necessarily a bad thing," Mattern said.
Living five minutes from Ohio and playing baseball near Pittsburgh exposed Mattern to different communities and perspectives, he said. It also cemented for him an enduring love of the game.
Like Mountaineer fans around the world, Mattern followed WVU baseball through its historic run to the Men's College World Series. He even got to experience some of the postseason excitement firsthand while working several games.
Feeling the excitement and sense of community at Kendrick Family Ballpark was a Mountaineer moment that made Mattern feel right at home in Morgantown, he said, and he's looking forward to watching the team again during the upcoming season.
"The biggest thing that we like to say at UPD is that we're people, too," he said. "A lot of people see us as just police officers because we're in uniform. More than anything, we're here to help and serve our community, and we want everything to go as well as it can."