Editor’s Note: SoapBoxing is a forum for members of the Iowa State and Ames communities to rave about various topics. Send interview requests via e-mail to [email protected]. This week, Loras Jaeger, director of the Department of Public Safety, speaks out.

“There’s Something About Mary” — “It was light-hearted, a good break from everyday life. It’s got a lot of humor in it.”

Books on violence — “The last good book I read was ‘Violence on Campus.’ Myself [and] Gene Deisinger [DPS staff psychologist] contributed to it. It was a very interesting book. Right now, I’m reading a book at home about a dog; it’s a little more light-hearted.”

Favorite “Police Academy” movie — “I think it would probably be the first one. It gets pretty redundant after awhile. What are they up to, seven? I think I saw the first one in the theater, and maybe the second or third on television.”

Sleep deprivation — “I’ve been awake for two and a half days before. Besides the Veishea shifts, I was [a detective] in Cedar Falls. I worked a burglary case that went all day. We drove from Cedar Falls to Davenport to execute a search warrant, made the arrest and didn’t get back until the day after. I’ve worked a number of investigations where I’ve gone two days without sleep. I was a detective for about eight years.”

Root, root, root for the Cubbies — “I’ve been a Chicago Cubs fan since I was little. I grew up on a farm, and I used to listen to Jack Quinlin [broadcast] the games. I got hooked then.”

I love my job because … — “With the city police in Cedar Falls I enjoyed the whole gamut of working with the students. You’re dealing with forward-thinking people who are very idealistic. It’s a good environment to be in. We have 117 students working at the DPS; it keeps us young. Nobody likes the verbal abuse, but that goes with the territory. When you’re a police officer, you have a tremendous amount of power, so you better be willing to take some abuse.”

Fight: Dennis Franz vs. Jimmy Smits — “I wouldn’t even want to guess [who would win]. I’m not a big cop fan on television. Most of them are not very realistic.”