2014-2015 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 Campus Community Police (CCP) receive their regulatory authority through the Guelph Police Services Board as approved by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. As a true member of the university community, CCP works cooperatively with our stakeholders and partners to identify, address and implement solutions and services to enhance safety for our diverse community.

The University of Guelph main campus continues to be a vibrant and growing community. The campus is active 24 hours, 7 days a week with a daily population of approximately 30,000 students, staff and visitors. At night, approximately 5,000 students in residence and family housing units call the campus home. The “transit loop” located at the University of Guelph has approximately 800 buses per day and 2.3 million people per year travel through this transit hub.

In the spring of this year we launched our “SAFEGryphon” Safety App for Smartphones. This is available for our entire Campus Community and is a step towards our commitment to improving safety on Campus. Smartphone technology is the most common method of communication. The App allows CCP to share key information with others in a quick and efficient manner. We encourage all of our Campus Community, students, parents, faculty and staff to download the App.

The Property Crime Eradication Project was instituted by our Bike Unit this summer. PCEP was initiated with the goal of lowering the incidents of property crime on campus by increasing the presence of Police in high crime and secluded areas of Campus. This program ran from the Spring of 2014 to the Fall of 2014. During that time approximately 2668 buildings were checked, 1068 parking lots, 623 roadways and 931 checks were made of areas of concern by members of the University community.

Our team of dedicated officers make a conscious effort to create an atmosphere in  which members of the university community actively engage with us. CCP takes the lead role for law enforcement and physical security for our community. Through a diverse variety of partnerships, participation on committees and presentations, we provide education and act as a resource both on and off campus. This year CCP were active with programs like the Rape Aggression Defence System (RAD), Sexual Assault Advisory Committee, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) audits, Workplace Harassment and Violence, the STOP program and the Officer in Residence Program. If you would like more information about the Campus Community Police and our community engagement, please visit our website. This year saw a number of challenges for members of the Campus Community Police. During much of the year our building was being updated through renovations and staff were continually being challenged in their workspace. The renovations upgraded our infrastructure, increased the efficiency of our space and enhanced staff safety.  We were also short staffed for much of the year with two members off for a period of time and resignations from the previous year that had not been filled.

In March/April of this year Impact Security Associates Inc. of London conducted a review of the Campus Community Police. The review provided recommendations to further enhance the services of the CCP and to implement best practices that will effectively  and efficiently address the needs of the university community.

Our Partnership with Guelph Police Service

Community Police and the Guelph Police Service. The Agreement defines and enhances the strong working relationship between the two services.

Our partnership with Guelph Police includes the provision of training, oversight and mentorship to the staff of CCP. The staff from both services works jointly to identify and resolve issues common to both departments. Although CCP is not directly involved in the front-line policing activities of the Guelph Police, we continue to offer our experience and knowledge in student life and conduct to Chief Deruyter and his team to support creative initiatives in these areas.

I would like to thank all members of the Guelph Police Service for their support and assistance. I look forward to the continuation of this partnership and I am committed to contributing in the collective interest of the university and the city to manage situations and uphold the safety and security of the university community.

Pat Martin, Manager

Campus Community Police, Fire Safety, University of Guelph.

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 thirteen sworn Special Constables interacting with and responding to calls on campus.

Recruitment and Hiring

The Campus Community Police hired one Special Constable during this reporting period and two Dispatchers.  Alex Elloway who had been a full time dispatcher was appointed a Special Constable in November.  Lisa Kovats was hired in June and Erin Mancini was hired in March to fill vacancies in Dispatch. Both previously worked in other Departments here at the University.

Resignations

Don Peer our Information and Technology Manager resigned in November.

Awards

On May 22nd, 2014 Special Constables Deschamps and Kohlmeier were honoured by the Guelph Police Service with the Community Partners Award which was the result of their actions at a fire at the University of Guelph on November 30th, 2013.

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, Ontario Association of College and University Security Administrators

(OACUSA) and International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), we continue to explore opportunities for training and professional development for the department. Training is also provided by the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) and the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance (OPVTA) through our Portal with CPKN.

In compliance with our agreement with the Guelph Police Services Board, all officers completed the mandatory First Aid/CPR and the Use of Force training. The table below provides examples of the wide variety of professional development undertaken by the members of the Campus Police in 2014-2015.

Assaults-Sexual

Theft/Possession of Stolen Property

The number of Break and Enters increased markedly from 1 reported in the 2013-2014 year to 11 this year. We will attempt to reduce this again this year through increased patrols, however, of note this is still a dramatic reduction from years previous to 2013.

The number of reported Hate Activity incidents increased this year with the majority of the incidents related to graffiti containing a hateful message. This may be the result of a better awareness of the University’s response to these types of incidents resulting in more reporting.  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. This committee is responsible for educating our community about Hate Activity and taking affirmative measures to reduce incidents of hate.

The number of general Thefts and Thefts of Automobiles increased during this reporting period. Targeted vehicles included General Motors pickup trucks or vehicles with high priced after-market accessories. The number of reported Theft of Bicycles decreased by 25%.  The goal of the PCEP bike project was to reduce bike thefts and to maintain a visual presence on campus around bike storage areas. Over the past year, the University has taken many positive steps toward making the university a cyclist friendly environment including more covered bicycle shelters and bike repair stations which have increased the number of bicycles brought to campus on a daily basis. The CCP Bike Unit continues to work to educate cyclists on safe locking practices and how to deter bike thefts.