2011-2012 Campus Community Police Annual Report

Table of Contents

• Intruduction
• Our Partnership with Guelph Police Service
• Who Are We
• Our Staff
• Recruitment and Hiring
• Complaints Against Members
• Training and Conferences
• Statistics

Introduction

The University of Guelph is committed to providing a safe campus environment for its students, faculty, staff and visitors. The Campus Community Police (CCP) provides enforcement, security services and emergency response at the university. While the men and women of the CCP play a major leadership role in ensuring the campus remains safe, the primary responsibility for crime prevention and personal safety rests with each individual. This is why education and community policing is an important part of the CCP’s daily interaction with their on and off campus community partners.

As each of us must take personal responsibility for our own safety, as well as the safety of those around us, the CCP work with students,  staff and faculty to educate them on means to help prevent and better respond in the event of a crime or a public safety emergency. With the inclusion of violence and harassment as hazards in the work place under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario, our focus this year has been on workplace violence and harassment. We provide education on the changes in the legislation for workers and supervisors across campus. We provide training in safe and practical ways to increase the safety and security in a work place, how to de-escalate a situation and to recognize when CCP should be notified. We continue   to work with students and staff on ways to deter crime, resolve safety related concerns and provide awareness of available resources on campus and in our community.

Campus policing is as much about education as it is enforcement. It is the goal of the CCP to continue to develop and enhance an environment where people can feel safe to learn, work, live and visit.

Robin Begin,

Director

Telephone: 519-824-4120 ext. 52050

Email:  rbegin@police.uoguelph.ca

Our Partnership with Guelph Police Service

The Guelph Police Service continues to support the university and the Campus Community Police through investigations, training and mentorship.

Members of the Campus Community Police are designated as Special Constables as authorized by the Guelph Police Services Board and approved by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. This appointment confers specified powers of a police officer, to the extent and for the specific purpose set out in the appointment and are restricted to a specific jurisdiction. The appointments are renewed every five years. Further, an Agreement between the Guelph Police Services Board and the University of Guelph governs the roles and responsibilities of both the Campus Community Police and the Guelph Police Service. The Agreement defines and enhances the  strong working relationship between the two services.

During this reporting period, through enhancements to the technology of the radio systems, there is now the ability of interoperability between the Guelph Police Service, Guelph Fire Department and the Campus Community Police. This will allow for all emergency services to communicate directly between the services at a serious emergency on campus.

I would like to thank all members of the Guelph Police Service for their support and assistance. Together we work to ensure a safe environment for our students, staff and faculty while on and off campus.

Who We Are

The University of Guelph Campus Community Police Service is a department of highly trained special constables and dispatchers who are responsible for the safety and security of the University’s Guelph campus. We also act as a resource for the regional campuses.

Our office is located in the Trent Building on Trent Lane. Members of the CCP are on campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year working to ensure that a safe environment is maintained for those who study, work, visit and live at the university. You can contact the CCP by any of the following means:

Contact information:

519-824-4120 ext. 52245

519-840-5000 – new direct lines to allow cell phone callers to bypass the university switchboard.

519-824-4120 ext. 2000  (Emergencies) Any on campus pay-phone – no charge dial

Any blue emergency phone

Any yellow call box Any elevator phone

Our Staff

The Campus Community Police now have a total staff of eighteen providing service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are four civilian dispatchers and twelve sworn Special Constables interacting with and responding to calls on campus.

Recruitment and Hiring

The Campus Community Police hired two Special Constables during this reporting period.

Kyle Ueberschlag joined our service in May 2011. Kyle is a graduate of the Police Foundations and Advanced Police Studies program at Conestoga College.

Fred Beckmann joined our service in June 2011. Fred retired from the Guelph Police Service after 35 years of service including uniform and traffic details.

Complaints against Members

There were no complaints received against any member of the Campus Community Police during this reporting period.

Training and Conferences

In partnership with the Training Branch of the Guelph Police Service, OACUSA (Ontario Association of College and University Security Administrators) and IACLEA (International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators), we continue to explore opportunities for training and professional development for the department.

In compliance with our agreement with the Guelph Police Services Board, all officers completed the mandatory First Aid/CPR and the Use of Force course. The table below provides examples of the wide variety of professional development undertaken by the members of the Campus Police.

The following chart outlines the statistics for the reporting year.

We continue to track incidents on campus to assist in determining training needs, education and outreach and strategies for effective mobilization of resources. We also share this information with our community during the academic year through a weekly incident report that is posted on our social media sites.

In this reporting period, the Campus Police responded to 5,286 calls  for service resulting in 1,571 Incident Reports being completed by the officers. We continue to work closely with Student Housing to reduce property damage and other acts of vandalism in residences. Statistics show a decrease in Property Damage by 31 incidents. Physical Assaults decreased by 4 incidents and there were no charges of Assault of a Peace Officer laid.

The number of incidents of Hate Activity increased by 4 during this reporting period with the majority of the Hate Activity being incidents of graffiti containing a hateful message. All incidents of Hate Activity are documented and photographed. Crime Bulletins are distributed throughout the university community and the Hate Activity sub- committee of the Human Rights Advisory Committee is also notified which increases the public’s awareness of this type of incident. This committee is responsible for educating our community about Hate Activity and taking affirmative measures to reduce incidents of hate.

The total number of Thefts on campus was down slightly. There was a decrease of the Theft of Automobiles by 5, a decrease of the

Theft of Bicycles by 1 and a slight increase of 4 incidents in All Other Thefts. The Campus Community Police will continue to work with staff from Student Housing, the Library and the Athletic Centre where the majority of thefts occur. The thefts on campus continue to be thefts of opportunity. Small items left unlocked or unattended are an easy target for thieves. The Campus Community Police will continue to educate our community on simple but effective ways to protect their belongings and to promote programs like the Stop Program to reduce thefts but if this period is any indication this education program seems to be effective.

Mental Health issues increased during this reporting period. The University has several mechanisms in place to identify members of our community who may need support or intervention. The Student Crisis Response Team is comprised of the Director of Student Housing, Student Counselling, Student Health Services and Campus Police. This group meets regularly to discuss trends observed on campus and to assess individual cases. The University has also initiated training on

Threat Assessment and has formed a Threat Assessment Team. The Team assesses any threatening behaviour on campus and makes recommendations to the university.