After nearly 10 years with the Odessa College Police Department, Nicholas Holbrook has been made chief of the force. His desire to go into police work stems from when he was a teenager.
“I always wanted to do something in public safety and then, when I was about 15, a sheriff’s detective in Tennessee came to my house and illegally searched my house for a gun that he thought I stole from him when he just lost it. My mom wasn’t home; completely illegal. But that pretty much sealed the deal,” Holbrook said.
Previous to OC, he was a police officer at Colorado City. Married with two children and one on the way, he and his wife, Amy, decided to move to Odessa as his childhood home was available. He and his wife now have four children.
Holbrook wasn’t planning to be police chief at Odessa College, but a previous chief, Brad Miller, took him aside and taught him a lot.
There isn’t a lot of crime on the Odessa College campus.
“Most all of it is from outside that walks on the campus. It’s not our students. I love our students. Some of the high school students not so much. They’re kids,” Holbrook said.
“Our sole mission as a police department is to protect the campus; make sure staff, students and the community is safe here, so we try to stay here. We don’t go off and find other things to do,” he added.
They occasionally help other police agencies.
“If it’s something where my officer is going to be a benefit to them, certainly. But if it’s already being handled by three or four officers from OPD (Odessa Police Department), there’s no reason for us to be there,” Holbrook said.
He said he loves the Student Patrol and is reworking it a little bit.
“Initially, we had several criminal justice folks the first few semesters and then it dropped off. Here lately, it’s been mostly all international athletes and 90-plus percent female. I never would have thought that in a million years when I came up with the program, but that’s what happened,” Holbrook added.
He said there are usually five people on Student Patrol, but he’d like more of an emphasis on criminal justice. He’d like the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences students to run the whole program.
For the summer, he has one BAAS student and one of the athletes will return in August.
“I’m also going to have the bachelor students come up with a community engagement project per term that they identify and propose and make happen. The associate students, a lot of those are from internships.
“I’m trying to create a paid internship for them so I can make sure I get at least a couple from criminal justice … and they can help with the community engagement. I’m really big on community policing, like actual community policing; going around and talking to people,” Holbrook said.
The OC police are fully staffed with seven officers, including Holbrook. He earned an associate degree from Odessa College in general studies and has a bachelor of arts in applied sciences degree in criminal justice administration and a master’s in criminal justice, both from Tarleton State University.
The police are there year round, 24 hours a day.
The police recently changed their uniforms to include jeans, a button down shirt and a hat. Due to the small size of the department, Holbrook said uniforms would take four to six months to get someone even partially suited up.
“My view on it is it’s an anti-uniform. The only time I care about what somebody wears shirt-color wise is for graduation I told them to wear blue,” he said.
Other than that, as long as it’s blue, gray, black or white and it looks good it’s OK.
“They love it,” Holbrook said of the officers. “The response on campus has been phenomenal. Everybody loves it.”
People also find them more approachable with their new uniforms. It’s also more comfortable. Before, he said, they wore black, which was very hot in the summer.
Born and raised in Odessa, Holbrook said the first department to offer him a job after going through the OC police academy was Colorado City. He now teaches at the academy.
He came to OC because his friend from the academy worked there and he had been assaulted seven times in 12 months before he put his application in at the college.
“This was my first choice in relocating and honestly I’m glad I came here because it changed everything for me,” Holbrook said.
Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management Kim McKay said Holbrook is well prepared to be chief.
“Nick’s extensive experience in law enforcement, from his time as a K-9 officer with the Colorado City Police Department to his former role as Patrol Sergeant at OCPD, has prepared him well for the challenges of campus and community policing. His educational background, with degrees from Odessa College and Tarleton State University, coupled with his hands-on experience supervising officers and managing student patrol, makes him an invaluable asset to our community. Nick’s dedication and rapport with students and colleagues alike highlight his commitment to safety and education,” McKay said.
