Although most students have left campus for summer vacation, Northwestern is beefing up campus security in the summer to improve students’ safety in the fall, according to administrators and police officials.
“We’re still here, 365 days a year,” said Assistant Chief of Police Dan McAleer. “Whether it’s over the summer or during the school year, crime doesn’t take a vacation. We have to be vigilant.”
The implementation of new security measures during this summer is part of the final step in a comprehensive campus safety expansion, first announced by administrators in October 2006.
The most recent measures being implemented include the installation of security cameras on all dorms and the phasing in of community service officers, who will replace student security monitors in dorm lobbies.
All measures will be in place by the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year, said Al Cubbage, vice president of university relations.
These measures come after nine dorm intrusions occurred during the 2005-06 academic year. NU hired an outside security company to devise a plan to make the campus environment safer.
The administration reviewed the company’s report, and have decided to address campus security in this manner.
Closed-circuit television cameras will be installed on the main door of each dorm and on the side doors that were exempted from the lock-down.
This past spring, 24-hour alarms were installed on all dorm side doors. After much debate between the Associated Student Government and the administration, a compromise to allow some exemptions was granted. The lock-down policy was reversed on 14 doors.
The security cameras will be used to deter crimes, and will be used in a criminal investigation. Their use in pursuing disciplinary matters will be up to the university’s discretion, Chief of Police Bruce Lewis said at an ASG meeting held last year.
Security monitors, the work-study students who checked in dorm visitors at night, will be phased out in the fall.
Replacing them will be 25 community service officers, who are being trained by University Police this summer.
These unarmed officers will work at security desks in the larger residential halls, such as Allison Hall and Bobb-McCulloch Hall, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. They will only patrol the entrances of the dorms, said Bill Banis, vice president of student affairs.
In addition to these measures, the university plans to implement a “rapid emergency response program” overseen by University Police, Cubbage said.
“In an emergency, this system will be used to communicate with people in multiple ways: e-mail, voice mail and text message,” Cubbage said. “We will ensure we have contact information for all the students in the fall.”
Other measures to improve campus safety are conducted annually, Banis said.
“We have an annual review of security and emergency protocols,” Banis said. “We’re paying close attention to everything.”
The university is hiring two new police officers and a public safety officer, trimming the shrubbery near dorms to improve perimeter visibility and ensuring all the outdoor lights work, Banis said.
Even with these new security initiatives, security on campus over the summer continues to be an issue for the university.
Within the first week of summer, a suspicious person allegedly trespassed into the Public Affairs Residential College, 1838 Chicago Ave.
Over a period of 11 days in July, there were six incidents of burglary at the Donald P. Jacobs Center, 2001 Sheridan Rd., the Kellogg building that houses Leverone Hall and Arthur Andersen Hall. A laptop worth $2,200 and camera equipment valued at $700 were stolen.
The crimes are still being actively investigated, said Lieutenant Ronald Godby of University Police.
“Generally, there is less crime over the summer because the population of the university is down,” McAleer said. “Still, there is crime over the summer and we still need the community’s help to be alert.”
Although most students are on summer break, there is still a “significant population” on campus, McAleer said.
High school students in the Cherubs program as well as other special summer camps are inhabiting some of the main dorms, such as 1835 Hinman.
In addition, some students taking summer classes at the university have elected to stay on campus as well.
“We try to work with all the students and the summer camps to protect them and their property,” McAleer said.
University Police has conducted safety workshops with the summer programs.
“These students are held accountable and are subject to the same laws as everybody else,” McAleer said. “However, officers do have discretion to channel minor issues to the program leaders for disciplinary action.”
The Daily’s Jake Spring contributed to this report.
Reach Paul Takahashi at [email protected].
