Behind the Scenes at Public Safety

Behind the Scenes at Public Safety

Officers Mark Williams and Jody Kiendzior (right) conduct a "streetwise and safe" workshop in South Rockefeller Hall, one of several crime prevention programs they present in student residence halls.

Behind the plate-glass windows at the Public Safety office next to the Ciruti Center lies an impressive assortment of communications equipment, and an array of sophisticated crime-fighting equipment the department's nine full-time officers hope they rarely have to use.

Next to the emergency and regular phone lines (they handle 250,000 calls a year!) and video monitors keeping tabs on activity at isolated or particularly valuable sections of the campus lies a computer terminal that plugs the department into national law enforcement records. When officers stop a suspicious person on campus, they can instantly discover whether he or she has a criminal record or an outstanding arrest warrant. They also receive "BOLO" ("be on the lookout" for...) announcements from the computer.

Down the hall, below a rack where mobile two-way radios are recharging, are a fingerprint kit, an evidence kit (containing tools, tags, and containers used to collect evidence--Sherlock Holmes style--at crime scenes), and an Identikit (used to create a composite portrait of a suspect). Staff sergeant Taryn SanMartino emphasizes that the equipment is there for one reason: to make sure that the College has a professional law enforcement department that can quickly assist in any campus emergency. "Because of the uniform, some people may be nervous about calling us when there's a problem with something like alcohol, but we're not your typical police agency. We're very community oriented." Assistant director Barbara Arrighi adds, "People don't need to be afraid that their name will appear in the Mount Holyoke News if they call us. The department only releases information about the incident, not the people involved."

Despite the fact that 90 percent of officers' time is spent patrolling and on "service calls"--helping those locked out of their cars, checking that buildings are locked, even pushing cars out of snowbanks--all officers are updated on new laws and trained to respond to emergencies. These range from taking injured athletes for medical treatment to helping victims of domestic violence or heart attack. "In many ways, our department handles calls just like some small town police departments, only the campus is a lot busier," says director Paul Ominsky.

Each officer carries a baton, pepper spray, and handcuffs, but not a gun. "Not being in the heart of a large town, the times are few and far between that we actually have to take weapons from anyone," explains SanMartino.

The most recent campus crime statistics (for 1996) reveal that MHC's an incredibly safe place to study and work. Although there was one motor vehicle theft and eighty-one larcenies, there were no reports of any of these crimes: murder, rape, sex offenses, hate crimes, robbery, aggravated assault, or breaking and entering. Two arrests were made on campus last year. "Our statistics are very good," said SanMartino.

If public safety's 24-7-365 effort to safeguard the campus succeeds, there won't be many opportunities for high-profile police work in the future, either. It's ironic; if the officers do their job really well, most people will hardly notice.