UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 12, Page 6
November 21, 1991
Director of Public Safety offers tips to students
Following is a list of questions and answers, that Douglas
Tuttle, director of the Department of Public Safety, recommends
that prospective and current students and their parents should ask
university officials when they are considering attending an
institution.
The answers to the following questions are based upon how they
relate to the University of Delaware.
Q. What office is responsible for the administration of the
campus security program? Describe any methods by which students and
employees are informed about campus security practices and the need
to be responsible for their own security and the security of
others.
A. The administrative office responsible for overall campus
security at the University of Delaware is the Department of Public
Safety. The functional units within Public Safety include the
University Police, Security Services, Parking Administration, UD
Transit, and the University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit. The
campus residence hall security program is administered by the
Office of Housing and Residence Life.
Crime prevention information, stressing the need for
individuals to be responsible for their own security and the
security of others, is presented during New Student Orientation, at
meetings of student and staff organizations, at educational
programs conducted within the residence halls and during the
University's annual Sexual Assault Awareness Week. Printed
materials containing crime prevention information, such as the
Campus Walkabout Map and the Residence Hall Security and Fire
Safety brochure, are distributed by Public Safety and the Office of
Residence Life.
Q. Are campus security personnel vested with law enforcement
authority? Describe the nature of their relationship with the local
police agency.
A. The University Police are fully trained and certified law
enforcement officers of the state whose primary jurisdiction is the
property of the University of Delaware. Their authority extends to
contiguous streets and highways and, under certain circumstances,
elsewhere in the state.
The University Police have entered into a formal
jurisdictional agreement with the Newark Police Department, and the
relationship between the agencies is one of mutual support and
cooperation. Information concerning crime in the community is
shared on a daily basis.
Q. What systems are available to facilitate the prompt reporting
of crimes or other campus emergencies?
A. Public Safety's communication center is staffed around the
clock, and the University Police are in immediate contact with
local law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services. Public
Safety's emergency telephone number, 451-2222, is widely publicized
and appears on the exterior of all marked University Police
vehicles. A network of more than 200 dial-free campus emergency
telephones connects callers directly with the University Police.
All outdoor emergency phones are readily identified by distinctive
blue lights.
Q. Under what circumstances are trespassers on campus subject to
arrest?
A. The University campus and facilities are special purpose
buildings and are not generally open to the public. An individual
or group of individuals who are not members of the campus community
may be asked to leave the campus by a University official when:
* their behavior does not meet the standards of conduct
established for the campus community; or
* their presence precludes the free use, access to or
enjoyment of University facilities by members of the
University; or
* they are in areas of the campus designated for the use of
members of the University or other invited individuals or
groups; or
* they have no lawful business to pursue on the campus.
Refusal to comply with such a request is in violation of state
law and will be treated accordingly.
Q. If the institution has on-campus student residences, what
proportion of undergraduate students live on campus? Describe the
security programs which are in effect at those facilities.
A. Approximately 50 percent of the University's undergraduate
students live in campus residence halls.
Residence hall security measures include a 24-hour locked door
policy, key and card-access systems, alarms to prevent door-
propping, security screens, an Enterphone system, and residence
hall area foot patrols by University Police officers.
Q. How is the campus community informed of the reported
occurrence of on-campus criminal incidents?
A. The University of Delaware's annual report of campus crime
statistics is published in the weekly staff newspaper Update, as
are monthly reports of campus crime statistics.
The Residence Hall Crime Update, which details reported crime
statistics for each campus residence hall area, is distributed
monthly by Public Safety for posting in each residence hall. Public
Safety shares information pertaining to all reported on campus
incidents with the staff of the The Review, the twice-weekly
student newspaper. A similar practice is followed by the Newark
Police Department, and the The Review publicizes selected cases in
its Police Report in every issue. Significant incidents are
reported in the Wilmington News Journal daily newspaper and the
local electronic media.
Q. How is outdoor campus lighting monitored to ensure that any
deficiencies are identified and addressed in a timely manner?
A. Outdoor lighting is checked in the course of routine Public
Safety patrols and maintenance needs are reported to the Plant
Operations Department. Individuals are encouraged to call Public
Safety if they observe any lighting maintenance needs to facilitate
prompt reporting and repair.
Comprehensive reviews of campus lighting are conducted each
semester and during the summer to identify any areas in need of
improvement. These reviews involve participation by students as
well as staff, and are generally attended by representatives of the
campus media.
Q. What services or facilities (either institutional or publicly
provided) exist to aid intra-campus transportation?
A. An extensive system of intra-campus bus transportation is
provided by the UD Transit unit of the Department of Public Safety.
Campus buses operate from 7:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. on weekdays and
from 5:30 p.m. until 4 a.m. on weekends.
University buses also serve major apartment complexes in
greater Newark from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on weekdays, with "return
loop" service at 10:15 p.m. Many other off-campus housing areas are
served during weekdays by the Unicity Bus Service, a free city of
Newark program which is operated by UD Transit.
During the hours of darkness when UD Transit buses are not
operating, or in cases of locations which may not be adequately
served by the buses, intra-campus escorts are available from the
University Police.
Q. What is the institution's policy concerning assistance to
victims of sex offenses?
A. Confidential counselling and victim support services are
available from S.O.S.-the campus volunteer support group for
victims of sexual offenses-as well as from the Center for
Counseling and Student Development, the Student Health Services,
the Office of Women's Affairs and the Office of Affirmative Action.
All victims of sexual offenses are encouraged to promptly report
any such incidents to the University Police or, if the offense
occurred off campus, to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Any
decision concerning criminal prosecution of the offender must
involve the consent of the victim. In the case of an on-campus
incident where the offender is a student, University disciplinary
charges may be brought in lieu of, or in addition to, criminal
prosecution at the discretion of the victim.
Q. If the institution recognizes student organizations which own
or control off-campus facilities, are reports of criminal incidents
which occur at those locations included in statistical reports
published by the institution?
A. Off-campus facilities owned or controlled by recognized
student organizations are within the jurisdiction of the Newark
Police Department, and crimes reported at those locations are not
currently included in statistical reports published by the
University Police.
In order to comply with the requirements of the federal Crime
Awareness and Campus Security Act, the University has requested
this information for inclusion in its 1992 annual report. It is
anticipated that the requested statistics will be provided by the
Newark Police on a monthly basis.