Public Safety patrols University campus dorms, libraries

"There are no Public Safety alerts at this time." Should you investigate the Public Safety link off of the University homepage almost any day of the year, you would likely encounter this reassuring announcement.

As of Oct. 31, 2002, Public Safety retired its director Jerry Witsil, who had given more than 27 years of service to the department, and prepared for the arrival of his replacement, Steven Healy. Healy has previously worked at Wellesley College and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has amounted 18 years of law enforcement experience, both as watch commander in Germany and as assistant public safety director at Syracuse University.

This transition presents a reason for reflection on this area of the University's administration. According to Systems Administrator and Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser, the department is temporarily understaffed, but is in the process of interviewing candidates for several positions. Though Weiser said that representatives had not identified any weaknesses in the system that demanded immediate redress, he said he expects a number of adjustments as incoming staff members offer fresh approaches to existing policies.

Consisting of at least 62 personnel, including about 50 patrolmen and public safety officers, the department is responsible for the supervision of the entire University community.

While the protection of individuals and property is a priority, Weiser also emphasized the preservation of an open campus where outsiders are free to roam, and where students can fully profit from the resources of the various buildings. If Public Safety's objectives were distilled into a single phrase, it might be: making campus safe, but convenient and comfortable.

Conducive to such a mentality, the gates in front of Nassau Hall are left unlocked, and the public safety officers are stationed at the entrances, primarily in an organizational and not a law enforcement capacity. Hired without mandatory police training, the pso's are usually occupied with either patrolling the campus or monitoring the traffic coming in and out of the University.

"We're pretty on top of things and we would probably remember if someone asked us [about a particular vehicle] later," Weiser said. "[The system] works pretty well."

More directly concerned with crime prevention than the pso's, the patrolmen are all certified police officers. According to Weiser, the pso's and patrolmen operate on regular shifts while classes are in session, meaning there should be nine officers in the field at any time. Though reluctant to specify for security reasons, Weiser also referred to "other preventive measures," including police cameras placed strategically around campus.

While recent crime statistics have been consistently tame, there has been a relatively high incidence of theft and even a certain amount of violence. In the last three years, Public Safety has reported an average of 67 burglaries, 433 acts of larceny and four auto thefts per year. Arguing that these numbers are not negligible, some have suggested that, under the current system, buildings and personal property may be too accessible.

As Public Safety reasons, however, much of the existing crime can be attributed to internal rather than external forces, suggesting that students pose more of a threat to each other than do outsiders. The one sexual offense reported in 2000, for instance, reputedly occurred in a dorm room between acquaintances who both attended the University.

As developing technology has presented the opportunity for advanced security systems, Public Safety has struggled with a balance between regulation and privilege. The card access or prox system, for instance, provides security without significantly complicating students' routines. Ideally, entry should be impossible without permission from an authorized member of the University community. Yet cards are often misplaced or borrowed and can only be deactivated once the loss is reported. Public security officers have determined, however, that current crime rates do not justify more extreme measures, and they place a strong emphasis on a student's participation in his own protection.

In an attempt to encourage student initiative and greater interaction between officers and the University community, Public Safety has recently instituted several new programs including escort services, shuttles and bike registration. Through Adopt-a-PUPS, (Princeton University Public Safety) patrolmen meet for discussion with different groups on campus, such as members of the residential colleges. Sponsored in association with McCosh Health Center, the Rape Aggressive Defensive Program offers women the opportunity to develop defensive tactics against potential attackers.

Security at Campus Libraries

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Other efforts towards better regulation and efficiency have included the installation of electronic systems in the campus libraries. Responsible for the security of all buildings except for Firestone Library and the Art Museum, which operate independently, Public Safety has placed security strips on University books and posted scanners at the entrances.

Firestone Library does not have such a system. According to representative Doddy Pierson, the chief deterrent has been inconvenience and not financial considerations. Although the proposal has been discussed since the technology became available, placing the electronic strip on the six million books in stock presents a daunting challenge for the library, she said. Although Pierson said she anticipates that Firestone will eventually convert to the electronic method of theft prevention, she said she does not believe that there is any particular urgency. There does not appear to be a problem with missing books, she said.

Furthermore, with either system, a similar number of employees would be required for monitoring access, since the library is only available to those with a University I.D. card or specific permission. Before 1982, Firestone permitted general access to the library but has since reserved its resources for the University community.

According to Pierson, "Firestone is supposed to be primarily for the students, and it was being used beyond its capacity."