P17
September 2013
Dispatch efficiency
Earlier this year, GCU modified the way it dispatches public safety calls to officers
on campus. The public safety office at Camelback Hall developed a new 24-7
dispatch center, and many GCU officers have had a chance to work the radios
to learn best practices for putting calls out to officers in the field. Training
emphasized the need for dispatchers to try to obtain as much information as
possible from callers. “They need to be able to put it out to us in a way that we
know what we’re going into,” French said.
Sirens, text alerts and crime reporting
GCU will install three sirens across campus this fall as a way to notify the University
community in the event of an active-shooter situation or similar event where the
campus is placed on lockdown. Oesterle said the sirens will be audible across
the entire west Phoenix campus. The sirens will work in tandem with GCU’s
text-message alert system, which students and staff can sign up for via gcu.edu.
Additionally, crime tips can be forwarded to the public safety office digitally via
the website.
Emergency ‘blue light’ coverage
There are 16 emergency blue-light call boxes around campus, providing students
and staff with a quick way to contact the public safety office in the event of an
emergency. Blue-lights are positioned primarily around campus parking areas
and promenades. More will be added this year.
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“In spite of all the incremental steps you take, the primary deterrent is an
observant population.”
Ramping up training is just part of how GCU is preparing to secure its traditional
west Phoenix campus and other sites. Other public safety enhancements include:
Security staffing increase
Last summer, GCU had about 27 public safety officers. By the start of 2013,
the University added enough positions to bring the total of 56. To extend its
commitment to campus safety, the University will hire additional officers to cover
new residence halls and the new 27
th
Avenue Office Center. Recent hires include
officers with decades of professional police experience, such as
Randy French
, a
former Youngtown, Ariz., officer who lost his previous job when Youngtown laid
off its entire police department through severe budget cuts. French, 43, a former
field-training officer, has helped train his fellow GCU officers on everything
from ethics to use-of-force standards. Other training opportunities such as the
Phoenix Police active-shooter drill are encouraged.
Arming officers
Public Safety Director
Henry Griffin
expects more officers could be trained
in the near future to carry .40 caliber handguns on campus. Currently, about
12 public safety staffers are certified to use handguns on duty to prevent
threats with potentially lethal force. Several of GCU’s public safety officers
are certified as Arizona peace officers, and others with professional police
department experience could be hired as GCU continues to grow and expand
across other sites.
Kenny Laird, GCU’s assistant public safety director, works with Phoenix Police on an active-shooter training exercise at Sedona Hall on campus. Laird, a former Phoenix sergeant,
has emphasized partnerships between campus and local cops. Photo by Darryl Webb
