Drexel to create campus police force
Noah Cohen
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: News
The final phases of the original plan call for the addition of two police detectives and additional patrol officers.
Once the 29-member force is fully staffed, the University will discontinue its contract with the Philadelphia Police.
While the University plans to stop paying the city for patrols, Ceccanecchio said having sworn officers at Drexel would only enhance the cooperation with other law enforcement agencies.
Ceccanecchio presented a report titled "Public Safety 2007 - 2008 and Forward," which cited a national study finding an overwhelming number of campuses employing sworn officers.
"About three-quarters (74 percent) of four-year colleges and universities with 2,500 or more students were served by a campus law enforcement agency with sworn personnel. … Among schools with 5,000 or more students, private campuses had more law enforcement employees per capita than public campuses," according to a 2008 report by the United States Department of Justice.
The DOJ study found that Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania operate two of the largest campus police departments.
Robert Stokes, assistant professor of criminal justice at Drexel, said Temple and UPenn utilize their campus police to focus patrol the surrounding areas and leave most main campus patrol to security officers.
Stokes explained that while most campuses have low crime rates, campus police are also important in marketing campus safety.
Among the benefits of sworn police cited by Stokes was that unlike the city police, campus officers can focus their efforts on the campus instead of constantly responding to emergency calls.
"They [campus police] can do more problem-solving," Stokes said.
Coordination and communication technology will be essential for a successful department, Stokes said.
"You're just an island sitting in the middle of a service area," Stokes said of the Drexel Police working within the city jurisdiction.
Ceccanecchio stressed that the Drexel police would be built on the highest standards and undergo special training in working with diverse populations.
Drexel's campus police would seek the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies certificate. CALEA certification evaluates police agencies on a variety of criteria, ranging from facilities to training.
The CALEA web site lists goals of program, including, "Strengthen an agency's accountability," and "Require an agency to develop a comprehensive, well thought out, uniform set of written directives."
NOTE: This story has been corrected. Two versions of a campus plan exist, with one showing a four-year phased plan and another showing a two and a half year plan. The four year plan was presented to the Board of Trustees while the two and a half year plan was updated after that presentation.
Once the 29-member force is fully staffed, the University will discontinue its contract with the Philadelphia Police.
While the University plans to stop paying the city for patrols, Ceccanecchio said having sworn officers at Drexel would only enhance the cooperation with other law enforcement agencies.
Ceccanecchio presented a report titled "Public Safety 2007 - 2008 and Forward," which cited a national study finding an overwhelming number of campuses employing sworn officers.
"About three-quarters (74 percent) of four-year colleges and universities with 2,500 or more students were served by a campus law enforcement agency with sworn personnel. … Among schools with 5,000 or more students, private campuses had more law enforcement employees per capita than public campuses," according to a 2008 report by the United States Department of Justice.
The DOJ study found that Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania operate two of the largest campus police departments.
Robert Stokes, assistant professor of criminal justice at Drexel, said Temple and UPenn utilize their campus police to focus patrol the surrounding areas and leave most main campus patrol to security officers.
Stokes explained that while most campuses have low crime rates, campus police are also important in marketing campus safety.
Among the benefits of sworn police cited by Stokes was that unlike the city police, campus officers can focus their efforts on the campus instead of constantly responding to emergency calls.
"They [campus police] can do more problem-solving," Stokes said.
Coordination and communication technology will be essential for a successful department, Stokes said.
"You're just an island sitting in the middle of a service area," Stokes said of the Drexel Police working within the city jurisdiction.
Ceccanecchio stressed that the Drexel police would be built on the highest standards and undergo special training in working with diverse populations.
Drexel's campus police would seek the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies certificate. CALEA certification evaluates police agencies on a variety of criteria, ranging from facilities to training.
The CALEA web site lists goals of program, including, "Strengthen an agency's accountability," and "Require an agency to develop a comprehensive, well thought out, uniform set of written directives."
NOTE: This story has been corrected. Two versions of a campus plan exist, with one showing a four-year phased plan and another showing a two and a half year plan. The four year plan was presented to the Board of Trustees while the two and a half year plan was updated after that presentation.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Steve
posted 3/12/08 @ 2:06 PM EST
What we need is freakin sharks with freakin lasers strapped on their head!
Mike Rodgers
posted 3/30/08 @ 11:00 PM EST
This is long over due. Considering the crime situation in West Philadelphia. I can't believe it's taken this long for Drexel do this.
Drexel Alumni 1984. (Continued…)
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