by Paul L. Ominsky, Director

MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE

Director

Associate Director

Sergeant

Sergeant

This report is dedicated to Wayne Gass, Dean of Business and Administration who retired in June of 2000 after 39 years at Mount Holyoke. Mr. Gass, in addition to his other responsibilities, was the division head that was responsible for Public Safety.

The Mount Holyoke College Department of Public Safety presented Wayne with its annual Public Safety Community Award, in appreciation of his assistance to the Department over the years.

A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

This annual report represents the efforts of every member of the Department of Public Safety. I would like to take the time to especially acknowledge contributions of Jeanne Murdock Tripp and Amanda Florek for typing and formatting work that went into this document. As the Director for the past six years, I continue to see tremendous growth in our personnel and our relationships with the community. The department has made significant progress towards its goals of community-based policing and its high performance and inclusive vision. It is clear from the feedback forms we receive from the community that our progress is welcomed and quite evident. The results of this year's Cycle Survey indicate that 97.4% of students surveyed were satisfied with Public Safety and security on campus. Our satisfaction rate was again the highest among the Five Colleges.

The statistics contained within this annual report reflect a very busy department; over 57,500 calls were received. I should take the time to note that there are some statistical differences among the comparison years that are attributed to a computer-generated reporting system versus the previous paper system. Unfortunately, with a computer-based system, some small services are left out. However, without a doubt this new system the department has more flexibility with data analysis and the system has assisted us in becoming a more professional department.

While there is not a significant crime problem here at Mount Holyoke College, as evidenced by our statistics, we are not immune to the problems that effect the rest of the country. At times, we do see spillover from incidents that occur in the South Hadley community. As we work towards our goal of preventing crime on campus, the Department of Public Safety is committed to continuing professional development of its personnel, service to the Mount Holyoke community, and leadership in the collegiate law enforcement field. Here in the Department of Public Safety, we take each call seriously and provide individual, personal service to each member of our community. It is that personal touch that makes the difference.

I am proud to share the department’s accomplishments with the community and look forward to providing the leadership for an outstanding Department of Public Safety.

The Department of Public Safety is committed to continuing improvement of its ability, through professional development, technological and other means, to protect the lives and property of the Mount Holyoke College community. As part of the larger College community, the Department strives to foster an environment where diversity is celebrated, citizens of all races, creeds sexual orientations, religions and nationalities are made welcome and rights are preserved. The Department is dedicated to enforcing the law of the land along with the College’s rules and regulations, in a fair, impartial manner with dignity and civility.

The Department’s members provide professional law enforcement service in conjunction with educational programming designed to increase awareness and decrease crime occurrences on campus. The Department strives to provide professional development courses that focus on proactive measures as an alternative to crime, as well as victim education and services, the development of educational programming and the expansion of community policing to all phases of its operations.

The goal of the Department of Public Safety is to become the leading authority on campus policing in the region, both in policies and practices, to deliver its many services in a timely and personalized manner. The aspiration for the individual members of the Department is to pursue continuing education in the field of law enforcement and to bring the educational expertise back to the Department and the College community.

1. Provide Officers, Community Service Officers, Public Service Officers and Dispatchers with increased educational opportunities.
2. Provide the Department with the latest technology to allow work to be done as efficiently as possible.

1. Public Safety will regularly communicate its concerns for safety and willingness to help members of the community.

1. Use e-mail and campus news media to communicate information affecting the community as timely as possible.
2. Provide training/educational classes and opportunities for members of the community (self-defense training, sexual assault workshops, etc.).
3. Provide daily, monthly and annual opportunities for members of the community to meet members of Public Safety.

1. Public Safety will recruit, hire and develop a diverse staff through initiatives like the Community Service Officer Program.

1. The Department will actively recruit a diverse staff.

1. Public Safety will work cooperatively with other departments, administrative and faculty areas, and student groups.

1. Continue to be responsive to the community.
2. The Department will listen to feedback, complaints and suggestions and respond.
3. Seek opportunities to partner with people outside of Public Safety.
4. Every person having contact with Public Safety will be treated with respect and dignity.

1. Public Safety is an educational resource of the community for law enforcement and safety concerns.

1. Provide ongoing education for the community about College rules and regulations that effect their security and safety.

1. Public Safety Dispatchers, Officers, Public Service Officers and Community Service Officers are front line representatives of the College and department.

1. Officers, Dispatchers, Public Service Officers and Community Service Officers work to provide services in a considerate and efficient manner.
2. Public Safety believes in and has adopted the philosophy of community policing. As such, every member of the department is considered a problem-solver and their input and solutions are valued.

1. All calls, incidents and requests for services will be handled professionally, even though there may be times when it is not possible to provide the requested services.

1. In cases where services can not be provided, members of the department will try to direct the person to the appropriate resource.

1. Incidents that occur on campus will be professionally investigated.

1. Public Safety continues to utilize every opportunity to increase our personnel’s investigatory skills.
2. Public Safety will continue to maintain positive relationships and will work cooperatively with outside law enforcement agencies.

1. The department will continue to monitor, evaluate and adapt to trends in crime.
2. Physical facilities needs will continue to be monitored and upgraded as opportunities arise.

11. Achieve and maintain state accreditation for the department.

The following statistics on annual incidence rates are provided yearly and comply with the federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 and Massachusetts General Laws (1996) Chapter 6, Section 168C. These statistics, which conform to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting System, vary pending the outcomes of ongoing investigations.

x = data not provided or not available

¹ Beginning in 1998 colleges are required to report disciplinary referrals for the federal law statistics. No referrals for crimes were reported in 1998.

*This category reflects all types of bias incidents. The Hate Crime category for the Federal Right to Know report only corresponds to incidents of murder, forcible rape, and aggravated assault, along with liquor laws violations, drug abuse violations, and weapons possessions.

* Statistics reported on this page may differ from those reported on other pages as these are based on dispatch data. Call reasons report how a call was originally reported to Public Safety; investigation may cause the incident to be reported in another category.