Kansas University police chief Ralph Oliver retired Dec. 31.

Whether mundane (someone’s out of gas) or threatening (there’s someone with a gun in a dorm), the calls kept Ralph Oliver going in campus police work for nearly 40 years.

“You have a reason to come to work. You’re there to help people,” Oliver said. “There’s not a day, even Christmas Day, where someone doesn’t call for help.”

Oliver, Kansas University’s police chief since 1997, retired Thursday. He’s been with KU a total of 38 years, starting as a KU Medical Center police officer in 1977.

His favorite thing about campus policing? The energy of students.

Oliver used the KU football team to illustrate that. He has traveled with the them to provide security for the past couple of years, and admired how they practice, play and study.

“The amount of energy, enthusiasm and effort that they put in is kind of an example of what most of the students here at KU do,” he said.

Least favorite thing? The turnover on campus.

Because college is a “constant revolving door” for students, it’s difficult to maintain relationships, Oliver said, even with student employees in the Office of Public Safety.

“You get to know students for three, four, five years, and then they go,” he said. “Every year there’s a new crop.”

Negative attitudes toward law enforcement, faced by police everywhere, also can be trying, he said.

“There’s really a lack of appreciation for what first responders do,” Oliver said. “Law enforcement, I think, people just take for granted. People don’t think about police until they need police.”

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Over the years, certain crimes have been consistent on college campuses, but in some cases they’ve evolved.

While theft traditionally is by far the most commonly reported crime at KU, Oliver called sexual assault the biggest issue for campus police right now.

Statistics have shown a sharp increase in reported sexual assaults at KU in recent years. Oliver said he attributes that to attention being brought to the issue, although it’s certainly not a new problem.

Decades ago “law enforcement in general was not as responsive as they should have been to victims of sexual assault,” he said. “Times have changed … we take it seriously.”

College students have always “kicked up their heels” with alcohol and experimented with drugs, Oliver said, though he’s seen changes in those areas, too.

The abuse of prescription medications has emerged, especially in the past five years, he said.

When it comes to alcohol, Oliver said, one challenge the university has worked hard on is educating students and making sure KU policies reflect appropriate attitudes about alcohol abuse.

The most serious crime that happened at KU during Oliver’s tenure was a double homicide in the KU Hospital emergency room in 1981, he said. A mentally ill man with a shotgun entered the hospital and shot and killed a doctor and a visitor.

The Lawrence campus has had one homicide — a Leawood man was killed during a riot in 1970 — but only one, nonfatal shooting during Oliver’s tenure. In 2000, a student was shot during a fraternity party at the Burge Union. The shooter in that case was caught and charged but walked free when the victim didn’t show up for the trial.

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Oliver, a Kansas City, Kan., native, graduated from Sumner High School and briefly attended Donnelly College.

In 1970 his birth date was drawn third for the draft. Rather than waiting to be called up, Oliver — wishing to avoid being a 6-foot-4 easy target in a rice paddy in Vietnam — quickly signed up for the Coast Guard. He spent four years, mostly flying in rescue helicopters in San Francisco.

Oliver liked the law enforcement aspect of the Coast Guard work, he said, and once back in Kansas City became a patrol officer for Rainbow Mental Health Center for three years before moving to the KU Medical Center and, later, KU’s Lawrence campus.

Instead of any particular crime, Oliver cited President Barack Obama’s visit to Lawrence in January as his most memorable experience at KU.

“A presidential visit is the ultimate in VIP protection issues,” he said, adding that the effort involved nine law enforcement agencies.

Obama was one of many prestigious visitors to KU that Oliver got to meet. Others include former President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President George H.W. Bush and Martin Luther King III. He also worked with President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos — a KU alumnus who wanted to take a stroll down Jayhawk Boulevard, which fortunately he was able to accomplish safely, Oliver said.

“Working here really gave me the opportunity to meet people that the average person doesn’t get to meet,” Oliver said.

KU’s assistant director of public safety, Chris Keary, will act as interim director, as of Friday. A search for Oliver’s permanent successor will begin in the spring.

Oliver said he and his wife, LaVonne Oliver, plan to move to South Carolina. There, he said, he plans to do what retirees are supposed to do: enjoy the warm weather and play lots of golf.