DPS stresses safety, 'Common Sense 101'
Omkar Baxi
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: News
The Commuter, Graduate, and Transfer Student Programs and Services, along with Drexel Public Safety, held a town hall meeting Oct. 8 to inform commuter students about the recent changes to Public Safety and how it affects their Drexel experience.
Fred Carbonara, director of Public Safety, and John Cohen, assistant director of Public Safety, gave students some basic information about the new Drexel police force that will soon take effect and provided advice as to how students should make their time at Drexel as safe as possible.
Cohen and Carbonara stressed that the most important aspect of safety is "Common Sense 101" - students were advised to keep their doors locked and belongings secure, to be aware of their surroundings, and to request escorts whenever they may feel unsafe.
Carbonara told the students that while it will take at least a year to complete the police force, the department is moving steadily to accomplish their goals. According to Carbonara, starting this week, Public Safety managers will have arrest powers and will carry weapons. In effect, they will be "guns without uniforms" until the uniforms are completed.
"Having a University police force is a big deal. Very few universities in Pennsylvania have their own police force, and soon, Drexel will be one of them," Carbonara said.
As an answer to student questions about what the police force would do, Carbonara said the immediate effect would be a prompt response to an ongoing crime. Carbonara said currently, DPS does not have the power to arrest criminals and that officers have to stall until the Philadelphia Police Department responds, which depends on the amount of criminal activity in the region. With Drexel's own police force, DPS will be able to act much faster in ongoing crimes, according to Carbonara.
When talking about current DPS services, students brought up concerns that DPS officers seem reluctant to provide walking escorts or do not act in a timely manner.
Fred Carbonara, director of Public Safety, and John Cohen, assistant director of Public Safety, gave students some basic information about the new Drexel police force that will soon take effect and provided advice as to how students should make their time at Drexel as safe as possible.
Cohen and Carbonara stressed that the most important aspect of safety is "Common Sense 101" - students were advised to keep their doors locked and belongings secure, to be aware of their surroundings, and to request escorts whenever they may feel unsafe.
Carbonara told the students that while it will take at least a year to complete the police force, the department is moving steadily to accomplish their goals. According to Carbonara, starting this week, Public Safety managers will have arrest powers and will carry weapons. In effect, they will be "guns without uniforms" until the uniforms are completed.
"Having a University police force is a big deal. Very few universities in Pennsylvania have their own police force, and soon, Drexel will be one of them," Carbonara said.
As an answer to student questions about what the police force would do, Carbonara said the immediate effect would be a prompt response to an ongoing crime. Carbonara said currently, DPS does not have the power to arrest criminals and that officers have to stall until the Philadelphia Police Department responds, which depends on the amount of criminal activity in the region. With Drexel's own police force, DPS will be able to act much faster in ongoing crimes, according to Carbonara.
When talking about current DPS services, students brought up concerns that DPS officers seem reluctant to provide walking escorts or do not act in a timely manner.
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