The Self Study Committee found security at Palo Alto “compliant with suggestions.” The finding means that although security meets requirements, there is room for improvement.
“Visibility is the biggest issue,” said Dr. Dorothy Haecker, Director of the Palo Alto Self Study. She said that her committee provided evidence of a perceived lack of police presence.
Dr. Haecker also said that officers’ response times to calls at night and on weekends have not been prompt. She said that people often had to wait 30 to 45 minutes before police arrived, according to the study.
The Self Study committee also made a ruling of “noncompliance” on Palo Alto’s comprehensive safety plan, which involves the training of Alamo Community College District employees in the event of an emergency or evacuation of the campus.
Haecker expressed her concern about the safety plan by describing events at the school on Sept. 11. After terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., ACCD closed its facilities for the day.
“Even though it was not an official evacuation, there were no campus police directing traffic,” Haecker said. “We (the faculty and staff) figured it out, but I hope that we will have a stronger security presence in the event of an actual evacuation.”
Javier Aguirre, an Instructor of History at Palo Alto, has similar concerns.
Aguirre didn’t worry about security until he was hired full-time in 1996 and started working late hours. “I would be the only one in the building,” he said, “and I didn’t see any security. I started wondering, ‘Shouldn’t there be more of a presence?’
Aguirre has also had trouble getting through to campus police and has experienced the long waits described by Haecker. “It’s not like calling 911,” he said.
The most important thing to Carrie Vasquez is security at night. Vasquez, a Math Tutor at Palo Alto’s Student Learning Assistance Center, often works until 10:00 p.m. She would like to see more police in the parking lots at night.
On the other hand, Palo Alto freshman Marcelino Molina III thinks that security on campus is good. He said that he is aware of how to contact the officers by using the emergency call boxes located around campus. In regard to the question of police visibility, Molina said, “I see them in uniform everywhere.”
Deputy Chief Don Adams of the ACCD Department of Public Safety agreed that the visibility of the officers is a crucial issue, because their presence can be a deterrent to crime.
Adams said that officers are often busy handling time-consuming duties such as investigating reports and doing paperwork. “They can’t be at all places at all times,” he added.
“We’re not seen, but we’re out there,” confirmed Patrolman William Cotham, who has worked for the ACCD’s Department of Safety for more than six years.
Cotham said an officer’s typical duties include checking school buildings for damage and trespassers, patrolling the parking lots for violations and responding to reports. “A report can be anything from a lost book to car lock-outs, accident reports and disputes,” he explained.
Cotham said that paperwork is a big part of the job. Basic paperwork takes 10 to 15 minutes, but more detailed reports, like disputes, can take up to half an hour to fill out.
Adams did admit that there could be some legitimacy to the perception that security is not visible. As a solution, he offered that the department asks its officers to make use of their on-the-job free time to make their presence felt around the campus. “That perception is important for people to feel safe,” he said.
The new security office in Palo Alto’s Student Center, across from the Bursar’s Office, may also promote better visibility and access to police. The office has a large walk-up window and a service bell.
According to ACCD crime statistics, crime at Palo Alto has been relatively low. There have been few reports of violent crime, with only two robberies and one burglary cited from 1997 to 2000. The highest incidence of crime has been auto theft, with 12 reported over a four-year period.
The district employs 39 licensed armed peace officers and 18 unarmed security officers to police its eight facilities citywide. The Safety Department tries to maintain at least two officers on duty 24 hours a day, everyday at Palo Alto. Adams explained that the actual number of officers on duty varies, depending on factors like sick leave and training days.
Adams also agreed that a 30-minute wait for police is a long time. He offered the shift change at 10:00 p.m. as a possible explanation for some specific cases, but he wants students to understand other factors.
“If something happens at San Antonio College and we need to pull officers from other areas...then if somebody wanted an officer there (at Palo Alto), they would have to wait for that officer to get done here and go back there,” said Adams.
Haecker thinks that the time may come when the desire for a higher level of safety might promote having a dispatcher on location. Right now, all calls are directed to the DPS dispatch office at ACCD district headquarters located on West Sheridan in downtown San Antonio. The dispatcher then contacts the officers at each locale.
In response to the Self Study findings of Sept. 28, Haecker and the Self Study Committee have proposed the appointment of a Campus Safety Committee. She hopes that the committee will have a broad representation of faculty, students and district employees. Haecker hopes to have the Campus Safety Committee running by the end of the Fall 2001 semester.
Haecker also said that Palo Alto’s president wrote a memo to the district requesting more officers on duty at Palo Alto, and ACCDExecutive Vice Chancellor Dr. Ernest Martinez approved the request.