The two most important numbers related to public safety
at Eastern Michigan University are 61 and 3.9 million.
The 61 is the percentage in decline in the number of breaking
and entering (B&E) calls in one year.
The $3.9 million is the number of dollars that EMU invested
in renovating existing space for the new department of
public safety facilities, which will host a ribbon-cutting
ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 10:30 a.m.
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NEW HEADQUARTERS: Greg O'Dell, Eastern
Michigan
University's chief of police, takes time
out for an
interview in front of
the Department of Public Safety's
new headquarters in the renovated Hoyt Conference
Center. The department hosts an open house and
ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 22, beginning
at
10:30
a.m. John Rice, University videographer, also
is
pictured.
|
"This facility is a physical example of Eastern Michigan's
investment in and commitment to the safety and security
of our students, faculty and staff," said Susan Martin,
president of EMU. "The Board of Regents should be acknowledged
for its leadership on this project. The board maximized
University resources by renovating an existing structure
to provide enhanced services for safety and security."
The $3.9 million facility was a renovation of the former
Hoyt Conference Center. The new police station includes
a prisoner processing area, complete withholding area,
locker rooms for officers, armory, evidence area and a
briefing room.
The Department of Public Safety houses the campus police,
health and safety, emergency management and parking.
"It's great to have a new station, but I think the 61
percent decline in B&Es is the real news," said Greg
O'Dell, EMU's chief of police.
"One of the top priorities for the department has been
to decrease B&Es. The reason we have seen success is
the collaboration of DPS and Housing in the Gotcha Program," O'Dell
said. "We have resident assistants and police officers
checking for unlocked doors and, when they find one, they
let the student know."
The number of burglaries on campus declined from 123 in
2007 to 47 in 2008.
Eastern Michigan saw declines or no change in all but
one of the 13 crime categories that are reported to the
federal government. The only on-campus category with an
increase was robberies, which went from one in 2007 to
four in 2008. Eastern Michigan's police answered more than
10,000 calls in 2008 and made 229 arrests.
"We have made a lot of progress and added some very important
tools in crime prevention at EMU," O'Dell said. "The recently
implemented crime mapping project allows anyone to see
what crimes have occurred in the last 60 days. We also
have added six temporary sworn officers to our force. And,
of course, SEEUS (Student Eyes and Ears for University
Safety) provides escorts across campus.
The crime mapping application is located on the DPS Web
site (http://geodata.acad.emich.edu/Crime/Main.htm)
and provides users with a visual representation of where
crime is occurring by adding markers to a map of the
campus and the city. The application uses the Google mapping
Web interface to plot the points where crimes occur.
"All of those things and the new station enable us to
continue to provide a safer environment for our students,
faculty and staff," O'Dell said.
