The safety and security of our faculty, staff and students is my top concern. It has come to my attention through communication with the CSEA and CTA that many of you have specific concerns about how communication occurs between the Campus Police and staff, and you want to feel assured that you will be informed and protected in the case of an emergency.
I will address those concerns in this "chat" and let you know about some additional steps that I've asked Chief McCurry to take to help keep you advised and confident that our police force is doing everything they can to keep you safe.
Introduction Two recent incidents have been talked about extensively and have taken on embellishments that are untrue. These incidents involve stories of armed intruders who may have been intending to harm faculty, staff or students.
Rightfully, these incidents have raised questions about when, and how, staff is notified if such a situation is actually occurring. I would like to shed some light on the two incidents and procedures for notification.
The February 1, 2011 Incident On February 1, 2011, an male individual called the San Bernardino Police 911 emergency dispatch, indicating that he had a gun and was going to hurt people. He called back a few minutes later and said that other people had a gun and were out to hurt him.
The San Bernardino Police traced his cell phone and pinpointed his location to the north side of Valley campus, near the basketball courts. They called the SBCCD police who dispatched a squad car to the sight and a Campus Security Officer. When the Security Officer arrived near the scene he observed the man on the cell phone - no weapons were observed.
Our police arrived on the scene, and after questioning, took the man to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for psychiatric observation.
As I understand it, at no time during this incident did the suspect's behavior demonstrate a threat to college staff or property. The suspect was under observation from a safe distance. Our Campus Police arrived quickly and took the suspect off campus.
The March 17, 2011 Incident On March 17, 2011, a female called 911 from her cell phone and told the California Highway Patrol dispatcher that she was parked in her car at Sand Canyon Road and 14th street in the City of Yucaipa and wanted to hurt herself.
The dispatch person handed the call to a San Bernardino Sheriff dispatcher, who was told by the suspect that she did (and then did not) have a weapon.
The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department was dispatched to the campus Parking Lot I, along with the San Bernardino Fire Department (a standard measure when someone is threatening to hurt themselves).
Since the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department was the lead agency in this investigation, our campus police officers relinquished matters into their hands and admittedly did not follow our standard protocol of notifying the Evening Dean on duty of the ongoing investigation. However, the Evening Dean did arrive on the scene and was helpful in offering assistance to the police agencies.
The student was not in her vehicle as assumed by the police. Our Campus Police found her classroom and were planning to take her out of the classroom when she returned to her car. She was greeted by the San Bernardino Sheriff, Campus Police and Fire Department staff who evaluated her and took her to Arrowhead for psychiatric evaluation.
Emergency Procedures These two incidents are indicative of the types of events that our Campus Police and the local police agencies deal with on a daily basis. All police agencies review their response to incidents and analyze if their performance can be improved. It is the judgment of the officers on site at the time to determine if and when notification to the general population is called-for or a lock-down should be enforced.
At no time during either of these incidents did the police in charge of the incident determine that a general campus-wide notification was necessary or a lock-down should be implemented. It was determined that during the March 17, 2011 incident communications and coordination could have been improved but the police agency in charge of the crime scene, in this case the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, did not believe that faculty, staff, students or property were in danger.
In Case of Emergency By now, I have been informed that all rooms should have an Emergency Procedures Flip Chart hanging on the wall. I have been told that each campus will be working on a process to orient faculty and staff to the contents of the flip charts. Until that time, I strongly urge everyone to read through the emergency procedures.
If there is a lock-down implemented by the police to protect lives, the flip chart will provide instructions for what to do after the lock-down has been implemented.
New Technologies that Will Improve Emergency Notifications Our district has two brand new technologies that are both being implemented that will make emergency communications work efficiently if that time comes.
Blackboard CONNECT The CONNECT application is now in place and our Campus Police, College Presidents, and others have been trained in how to send campus-wide communications to all faculty, staff and students in the database which is being maintained by the DETS Department. CONNECT replaces the prior ALERT "opt-in" emergency notification system. We replaced that system because only about 10% of staff and fewer students opted to receive emergency messages. CONNECT allows us to communicate via email, phone mail, and text message in real time.
Informcast Informcast is a new technology that has been added to our District-wide telephone system that allows the phones to be used as a public address system. Distribution lists can be created by campus, by building, by department, or any other configuration.
The purpose of the Informcast application is to be able to inform building occupants in case of an emergency situation. Staff can be instructed, through the speaker, to stay in the building or any other special instructions that can then be implemented. This product is being tested and should be ready for implementation, and training this month. Administrative Procedures for this technology will be included in our AP3740 on Emergency Notification.
Communications The Campus Police maintain a website with important safety information including the daily crime reports. You can access that information by following the links.
In addition, the Campus Police Department has developed a weekly newsletter called SBCCD Police Beat (click link for first issue), which includes the crime reports from the prior week, safety tips, and information of the police staff.
Meet the Chief Campus Police Chief McCurry will also be available on a monthly basis at each campus for a meet and greet. The Chief will answer questions, speak to a class, or help to communicate in any way that he can, the information you need to feel safe on campus. On Thursday, April 14th, Chief McCurry will be at Crafton Hills College from noon to 1pm in the Crafton Room. On Thursday, April 21, the Chief will be on the SBVC campus from noon to 1pm in the Library Viewing Room. A date for the District Office will be announced.
Clery Act Annual crime report information is available on the Campus Police website. For the next reporting cycle, an Annual Crime Report will be distributed to all faculty, staff and students.
Conclusion I hope this communication has helped to express my commitment to having a safe and secure District. I will personally be working with Chief McCurry to continue to improve the workings of our Campus Police Department and our process and procedures. We are committed to making sure that each of you feel safe while on campus and that we are doing an excellent job.
