PUBLIC
SAFETY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What
can Public Safety do for me?
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Public
Safety provides police services for the community (responding
to and investigating incidents and accidents, assisting victims,
etc.) as well as many other security services such as lockouts,
emergency medical treatment, and on-campus
medical transportation. In addition, the Department is available
to do programming for the
community on topics such as self defense, CPR, personal
safety, and more. We also patrol the campus 24 hours per day
watching for suspicious activity, security and safety hazards.
Our
patrols are augmented by safety technology - a very comprehensive
lighting program, a network of emergency blue light phones,
and a campus card system controlling access to campus buildings
especially after hours.
Are
Public Safety Officers "real" police officers?
Public Safety
Officers, and the part time Reserve Officers, are licensed
police officers. We receive our powers of arrest for the Mount Holyoke
College campus through the Massachusetts
State Police and receive our training from the State
Police. Each officer is required to take annual Massachusetts
continuing education training to be recertified. New officers must
successfully complete a fourteen-week training program at the State
Police academy.
How
do I reach Public Safety?
Public Safety
can be reached from on campus at x2304. In an emergency,
Public Safety can be reached at 1-911
or by picking up an Emergency
Phone; these phones ring directly to the Public Safety
dispatcher as a priority line (except at the Canoe House where you
must dial x2304). The Department of Public
Safety is located in the Central Services building. From
a cell phone, dial 413-538-2304.
How
do I file a report?
Call Public
Safety at any time and let the dispatcher know you would like to
file a report. An officer can come to your location, or you can
come to the Public Safety Office. Reports can be filed twenty-four
hours per day year round.
How
do I get a copy of a report?
If you file
a report with the Public Safety Department, you can complete a report
request form and drop it off or mail it to the Director of Public
Safety. NOTE: Not all reports can be released. Reports of investigations
and those which indicate confidential, personal or other sensitive
data will not be released. Each request is evaluated individually.
Why
does the dispatcher ask for my name whenever I call to request Public
Safety assistance?
It is the Department's
policy to request the names of callers for several reasons. The
most important reason is that we may have to reach you to get more
information, particularly if you are reporting a crime or other
incident. If you are calling for a service such as a transport
to the Health Center, we require a name to be sure we are providing
the service to a member of the Mount Holyoke College community.
Under certain circumstances, at the discretion of the Sergeant on
duty, Public Safety will provide transports to the Health Center
to protect the confidentiality of a victim without a name being
listed. We will not, however, be able to provide services such as
rides, lockouts, etc., without obtaining the name of the caller.
I received
an annoying phone call; should I report this?
The Public Safety
Department recommends reporting all annoying telephone calls. This
is particularly important when the calls are repetitive, threatening
or disconcerting to the recipient of the phone calls. Annoying phone
calls are normally the most-reported crimes on campus each year.
Most of these calls tend to come in groups when a caller will telephone
numbers within the campus attempting to engage people in conversation,
and are more annoying than threatening. The Department does track
these calls, and works with the Telephone Business Office and outside
telephone companies to prevent further annoying calls if possible.
More information
is available on annoying telephone
calls.
Will
Public Safety let me into my room if I get locked out?
Public Safety
will provide lockout services to students, faculty and staff who
are locked out of their assigned spaces. HOWEVER, we are
not able to let any community member into another person's or department's
space. Officers will ask for identification before opening an assigned
space. Students are charged $15 for lockout services.
More information
on lockouts is available
on-line.
Will
Public Safety open the trunk room for me when I move in or out of
my residence hall?
Public Safety
can not provide trunk room services at any time during the year.
However, Hall Presidents or Residential Life staff can provide access
to these spaces if you make arrangements with them.
My car
will not start; will Public Safety jump start it?
Public Safety
has "jump kits" that we can use to assist you. These will
not work in every situation, and are not always available due to
charging time, etc. We suggest enlisting the help of a friend or
fellow community member if we are unable to assist, or using a service
such as an auto clubl or local service station. See the Vehicle
Assistance Program for more information and more suggestions.
If I
file a report, will Public Safety release my name?
Public Safety
does not release the names of victims to the public by Department
policy. We may, however, refer cases to the Dean of Students office
or other relevant offices on campus. In the case of a sexual assault,
Massachusetts state law requires that a victim's name be withheld
from the public, and Public Safety will only release a name if permission
is given to do so. More information is available on sexual
assaults.
If I
file a report with Public Safety, do I have to press charges against
someone?
In most cases,
it is solely the choice of the victim whether or not charges are
brought against an offender. In domestic violence cases, the Department
may be required by Massachusetts law to act based on information
we receive about such situations. Public Safety strongly recommends
that any incident occurring on campus be reported to the Department
so the community can be warned if a hazard exists.
What
is a "PSO"?
A PSO is a Public
Service Officer. PSOs are people with some experience in law enforcement-related
fields, but are not certificatied as sworn officers. PSOs are assigned
to foot patrol, operation of the RIDE Van and also provide coverage
in the dispatch center.
What
is a Reserve Officer?
A Reserve Officer
is a part-time on-call sworn officer. They augment the full time
staff by covering events and special details as well as filling
in on shifts for full time officers who take time off, and also
provide extra shift coverage during busy times of the year. They
help us to keep costs down by averting some overtime. These officers
are often employed full time in other jobs in law enforcement.
How
do I get a student job in Public Safety?
There are two
office assistant positions as well as an Accreditation Fellow position.
For more information on these positions, call Jeanne Tripp at x2304
during office hours.
Now that you
know more about Public Safety, meet
the staff! (on-campus only).
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