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Campus police visibility needed
University of Mary Washington creating safety task force at its Fredericksburg campus
Date published: 11/20/2009
BY JEFF BRANSCOME University of Mary Washington President Judy Hample said yesterday that she wants university police to be more visible on campus. "There's not a sense that they're working among us so much," she said in an interview. Perhaps, she said, more officers could use bicycles or Segway scooters instead of monitoring the campus in cars. At Hample's direction, UMW is forming a task force to address campus safety. A committee of the university's board of visitors briefly discussed the initiative yesterday. UMW was the site of high-profile crimes last year. A student was raped in the school's parking garage, and a jogger was attacked near the university's track on Hanover Street. Executive Vice President Rick Hurley, who Hample said will co-chair the task force along with Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Searcy, said he hopes to appoint about 10 members before winter break. Students and faculty and staff would be among those involved. Hample announced plans for a task force in the wake of a campus safety walk in September during which she used a blue-light phone in UMW's parking garage to fake an emergency. At one point, she told a campus dispatcher that a man who was preventing her from entering her car might have a gun, students told The Free Lance-Star. Campus police didn't know it was a test, which Hample said she performed in her "official capacity." A university spokesman said it took officers six minutes to arrive at the garage, but Hample saw room for improvement. Police responded on foot and in cars with lights and sirens on. Hample identified herself as Judy Hample during the call. A UMW spokesman said campus police should have known it was a drill and blamed the confusion on a "failure in some internal communication." UMW has had problems with blue-light phones in the past, and Hample said yesterday that she "wanted to find out decisively what the problem was." Some praised Hample's test, but others say she jeopardized student safety by acting as if it was a real emergency. The task force will not address the incident, Hample said. "None of us want to relive that," she said. Instead, the group will study blue-light phones, police escorts and the use of technology to enhance safety, among other issues. Additionally, a consultant will review police operations, staffing levels, equipment and training. It's unclear how much UMW will pay the consultant. Hurley said UMW plans to pay other experts for their assistance, including someone with a background in what he called "community policing." Hample said she wants to create an environment where students feel the police are an "active part" of their community. "It really is to make sure that we have in place everything possible to have a safe and secure campus," she said. Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Date published: 11/20/2009
blue-light / emergency phones - police presence
(posted by
localRes123
, Nov. 23, 2009 10:39 am)
Stating that the current system doesn't work when in the last 5 - 10 years the only major criminal acts, other than standard thefts, to occur were the two incidents last year is completely hiding one's own inadequacies.The fact is that the police at UMW aren't responsible for what happened, but for how they handle the incidents after they happen.Police presence is a big thing, yes, but how many officers are on duty at one time?How big is the campus? And what are their duties?These are the ?'s you shouldask
Doing her job?
(posted by
Tardy
, Nov. 22, 2009 11:42 pm)
Bashing one's staff about something that may not be completely understand is not doing one's job. The blue light system works. The reason it didn't work last year was because a cable was broken at one of the boxes, but it was fixed quickly. I am really surprised she didn't know that before publicly criticizing some that are very dedicated to UMW.
Hample's just doing her job
(posted by
voiceofumw
, Nov. 22, 2009 11:01 pm)
The blue light system doesn't work. The UMW Police are
inept. Yet all anyone can do is complain about Hample.
She asked the student in charge before testing the system,
Susan Knick did the same thing last year. Hample is putting
together a group of students and staff to improve the
system, and the students are behind her, she already gave
$250k just to get more lighting on campus and the
surrounding communities. Is that enough action for you,
Firebird? She is protecting students by fixing a flawed
system.
Not working around so much?
(posted by
Tardy
, Nov. 20, 2009 9:03 pm)
Interesting. Someone should pay a consultant to find out why she was practically absent every morning for months after she became president. It is a wonder the UMW board hasn't booted her, but they are too afrraid to look bad after what happened to Frawley.
Blue light phones
(posted by
ffgirl
, Nov. 20, 2009 3:43 pm)
Nya the blue light phones they are refering to are emergency phones set up all around the campus. Wherever the phone is located you will find a blue light above it. As soon as the student picks up the phone the call goes straight to the campus dispatch center. My question is this, shouldn't Hample be charged with falsely summoning police by doing her "exercise"? If anyone else were to do the same thing they would face the possibility of charges. She definetly put put others at risk by doing so.
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