Briefing room 2010

My name is Greg O'Dell I am the Chief of Police for Eastern Michigan University. I want to welcome all of you to Fall 2010. Whether you are a student, faculty, staff, or guest to EMU, we strive to make your stay on campus a safe and pleasant experience.

I will be using this space to help keep the campus community informed about what is happening on and near campus. Our goal is to improve safety through crime prevention education and by informing the community about crime information and crime patterns. 

First, I would like to point out the link below my picture on the right. This link will take you to the Eastern Michigan University emergency alert page.  If you haven’t done so already, I recommend that all students, faculty and staff sign up immediately for EMU's Emergency Text Message Alerts, which will notify you via text messages in the event of a serious on-going emergency on campus.  The alerts will also be sent out when campus is closed due to weather conditions.  More than 8,000 people have already signed up for the alert service.

Second, to the left you will find important links. The first is the Daily Crime Log. This summary compiles the crimes reported to our Police Department and provides a brief description about the crime and where it occurred. This daily crime summary will give you the basic information about what is happening in your area and around campus. The Police Advisory link will provide information on any current crime alerts. The link to the Annual Security Report will take you to our annual crime statistics and crime prevention pamphlet. This report provides the crime statistics for the last three years as well as helpful crime prevention tips. The link to the Emergency Assistance Stations will take you to a short video explaining how to use the stations.  The last link, Contact Us, will provide you with important phone numbers to contact the Department of Public Safety and the services we provide, which include Parking Services, Health and Safety and the SEEUS escort program.

I would like to introduce you to our crime prevention Officer. In 1987 the EMU Police Department assigned a police officer to be a Crime Prevention Coordinator.  The Crime Prevention Coordinator position is dedicated to educating the campus community about crime prevention and awareness. Crime Prevention seminars are held at various on-campus locations throughout the year and are free of charge to the campus community.

Officer Candace Dorsey has been the Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Police Department at EMU for approximately 10 years. She is a graduate of EMU, earning a Bachelor in 2004 and a Masters Degree in 2006. She was born and raised in Detroit before relocating to Washtenaw County 14 years ago. She began her career in law enforcement with Detroit Police Department where she worked for 7 years before working at EMU as a Patrol Officer.

Officer Dorsey got involved with crime prevention at EMU for many reasons, first, it was something different than working police patrols, and it was a wonderful opportunity to become creative and push the concept of Community Policing.  Second, Crime Prevention is proactive, rather than reactive.

Crime Prevention is not new to policing.  Community policing and crime prevention concepts have been around for many years. Crime prevention is a pattern of attitudes and behaviors directed at reducing the threat of crime and enhancing the sense of safety and security, to positively influence the quality of life in our society, and to develop environments where crime cannot flourish.

Crime Prevention seminars cover a variety of topics, including the following: Alcohol and Drug Awareness, Campus Safety,  Operation U.V.I.D. Book Marking,  Building Security,  Commuter/Travel Safety,  Date Rape,  Mock Drunk Driving Arrest,  Robbery Prevention,  Vehicle I.D. Glass Etching,  Self-Defense Protection,  Sexual Assault/Rape Prevention,  Stalking,  Theft Protection,  Domestic Violence,  Property Engraving and Team Building.  The crime prevention office is located at the Police Department. Officer Dorsey can be contacted at 487.1222.

I look forward to this new year and on behalf of the Police Department welcome all students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus.

Greg O'Dell
Chief of Police