Is our campus safe, and could it be safer?
by Charles Wiley and Ronald UnderwoodMUSC Public Safety
MUSC occupies approximately 61 acres, contains more than 89 buildings, 27 surface parking lots, four high rise parking garages, and 18 off-campus locations. The 2,333 students, 8,336 staff and employees, and more than 26,000 visitors and patients (annually) make up our highly mobile and ever changing population.
Public
Safety Officer Terrance Major in the Hagood parking lot.
Although MUSC is located within the inner city of Charleston, we enjoy a significantly lower crime rate than any other urban area. Due to our size, we experience many of the same problems that our small city face in today's world, the most prevalent of which is crime.
As a father and grandfather, I have asked myself, “Is our campus safe, and could it be safer?” I also have been asked if I would send my children and grandchildren to school here? The answer to all of the above is yes.
Recently a College of Nursing student was brutally assaulted in Hagood Parking Lot. The City of Charleston Police have assumed the lead in this investigation and are currently pursuing leads in an attempt to a satisfactorily resolve this unfortunate situation. We are confident in their abilities and are currently assisting in this effort. The recent incident in Hagood parking lot has called into question and review every aspect of our campus security from staffing to patrol procedures the fact remains that the MUSC campus is one of the safest in the nation. This fact, supported by national and local crime statistics, is a direct result of a concentrated and dedicated effort on both the university and the Department of Public Safety. A review of the Annual Statistical Summary, located on the Public Safety's Web site, graphically depicts this effort. These figures are reported annually to the Department of Education and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. These figures can be accessed at <http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/search.asp>
The university's Department of Public Safety is a fully certified and accreditated law enforcement agency and is comprised of three components: patrol, operations services, and administration. We are authorized 72 total employees at this time and currently have 63. Seven vacancies exist in patrol and have resulted in the realignment of all patrol sectors to meet current mission requirements. Our officers answer calls which range from security escorts to homicides. We have two full-time investigators and a crime prevention officer.
A national comparison of officers per call for service and population provides the following information: We have one officer for every 674 members of our community, compared to one officer for every 686 members statewide; each one of our officers responds to 597 calls for service annually, compared to the 595 calls for service per officer statewide. We are the only stand-alone medical university law enforcement agency to receive international accreditation, one of only 24 colleges and universities within the United States to receive such accreditation.
The Department of Public Safety operates three patrol shifts providing 24-hour service. We employ 55 cameras (21 exterior and 34 interior), 51 emergency call boxes, and currently have 14 buildings which use the card access system. We monitor and respond to more than 934 alarms, answered over 64,814 calls for service, and made 73 arrests in the year 2000.
Is our campus safe? Yes, through a combination of technology and a dedicated and well-trained police force every effort has been made to insure the safety of the MUSC community.
Can all crime be eliminated? No, but through a joint effort of police and citizens we can seriously reduce it’s occurrence and mitigate it effects.
For further information on MUSC crime figures and security tips, as
well as a list of services visit the Public Safety Web site at <http://www.musc.edu/publicsafety>.