Campus Chief of Public Safety shares life-saving tips with students
With the rising levels of violent crimes on campuses across the nation, like the Umpqua Community College shooting in October 2015, students now have more to worry about than just their finals.
The Wire sat down with Willard “Bill” Wood, chief of public safety at Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus, to talk about the security at Delaware Tech and safety tips for students.
Q: What are things students should look out for that can be considered ‘suspicious behaviors’ that should be reported?
A: “All of us have survival mechanisms, a gut feeling, and that is your body’s way of telling you to be alert. It would be wonderful if we could identify three or four characteristics, but we have such a wide, diverse group of people that come here. For a general example, if it’s hot out and somebody comes in with an overcoat on, that should generally catch somebody’s attention.”
Q: What is the best way a student can report an emergency on campus?
A: “It depends where you are. If you’re walking down the hallway and see an officer, you’re better off if you walk up and talk to him/her. However, if you are not around an officer or faculty member, you can call in by phone. The phone number is: 259-6666. It places a call to the office, and if nobody answers, it is automatically forwarded to all the officer’s phones; so no matter what, you will always talk to a live person. We also have the blue light safety phones around campus that can be used for both emergency and non-emergency assistance.”
Q: “There has been a lot of violence in the news recently. Are you concerned a violent event could happen here, and what measures can be taken to prevent it?”
A: “Let me just say that you would be foolish not to be concerned with the way things are going on, but [the violence] is there. Be aware of what is going on around you. It is called ‘situational awareness.’ Too many people are walking around playing on their cell phones. When you’re out and about, that is the wrong time to be on it, because when you are walking down the hallways with your head down, your situational awareness is near zero. This should be taken as a life tool no matter where you are. The time span between when you discover a dangerous event and when help gets there is going to be on you, and how you handle that is going to determine the outcome.”
All the security officers at Delaware Tech are deputized with the power to make arrests, and are fully trained to handle emergency situations. Marykate Bennett, a student at Delaware Tech, seems confident in the security staff’s abilities during a campus crisis.
“I think if something like that were to happen, the staff would handle the situation well. They would probably tell people to get off campus, which I think is the best option,” said Bennett.
However, not everyone is familiar with campus safety. Delaware University student Cole DiLorenzo expressed how he’s never given it much thought.
“I really don’t know much about campus security, or what procedures we have for dangerous events,” said DiLorenzo.
Quick Tips For Campus Safety:
In an emergency, call: 259-6666
Always be aware of your surroundings; spotting danger is the most important for survival
Trust your instincts. Tell your teacher or a security officer if you spot suspicious activity
Run. Hide. Fight. (Video)
Campus security officer John M Kamien. Photo by G. Hiller
Campus Blue Light