You see at least one every day. Whether on foot or in a squad car, these blue- or black-shirted officers have a noticeable presence on campus. You may even be friends with one. But do you know what exactly a campus safety officer does beside parking enforcement?
Campus safety is an integral part of North Central. They have four main roles to fill: “safeguarding public lives and property, preventing and detecting crime, helping those in need, and maintaining order and keeping the peace,” says the director of campus safety, Ashley Klco. Common things that campus safety officers respond to include non-emergency assistance, safety escorts and building access/room unlocks.
Before someone becomes a campus safety officer, they “must complete orientation, training courses and demonstrate their abilities,” Klco says. Since learning is a continuous process, there are monthly training sessions that an officer must undergo. Such training includes, but is not limited to, diversity, de-escalation techniques, responding to domestic violence, report writing and more.
Student officers are given a training checklist that lists actions that an officer needs to be able to perform. These items include radio orientation, driver certification, procedures for the RAVE emergency alert system and others. Trainees are given a folder that they are to keep important papers that help with these checklist items, such as a campus map and ten codes (e.g. 10-4 “acknowledge” and 10-22 “disregard”).
Campus safety also plays a role in the College’s emergency response plan, where they’re essentially first responders. Communication is very important in times of emergency, so there are several ways to notify students of an emergency situation. The outdoor alert system and bullhorns are good attention getters, as they are loud and easily noticeable.
Campus safety will also activate the emergency alert system, RAVE, which will send out emergency notifications through text, email, social media and other channels simultaneously. Also, three extra phone numbers and two extra emails can be entered into the system per person to increase the likelihood of receiving notifications in a timely manner.
To provide assistance, North Central has a close relationship with Naperville’s police and fire departments. All three constituents participate in joint scenario training during the year. The College also has a liaison who communicates with both the police department and the fire department on a regular basis to ensure all three organizations are on the same page.
On the CardinalNet website, under the students tab and the health and safety subtab, there is a menu that has a campus safety section that provides easy access to useful information about safety reports, safety tips, parking enforcement, etc. This allows students to easily inform campus safety of any issues they might have.
Campus safety does a lot more than parking enforcement. From helping those locked out of their dorm, to responding to campus emergencies, they play an integral part of the safe and friendly atmosphere at North Central College.
