The Rice University Neologisms Database

A term used in reference to the Campus Police Department. Campo is a blend of campus and police, and is a somewhat disparaging term used to refer to the Rice University Police Department and its members. Similar terms include the popo (police) and ropo (River Oaks Police Department). It is easy to blend campus and police because they both are spelled with p’s. Moreover, the ending syllable “po” of campo suggests that it is formed by analogy to popo. It is somewhat popular to refer to the police as the popo. Blends ending in “po” are popular when referring to some type of police department. Apparently, people are not supposed to address the officers as campos, but are free to do so in private conversations. The derisive nature of the word makes it more amusing, and thus makes it more appealing to use.