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Printer-Friendly ModeCampus under control over welcome weekend
August 31, 2009 —
University Police is as busy a department as ever. Lucky for them, incidents involving campus residents this weekend were on the low end, Chief Ron Trepkowski said.
Other than issuing four Minor in Possession (MIP) charges, the police found that on-campus activity was under control.
“As opening weekends go, there weren’t as many incidents. It seemed like last year there were quite a number of things, which is a little surprising when we have more students living here now,” Trepkowski said.
Across the street was another story, however. University Police were called to assist the Saginaw County Sheriffs Department at the Campus Village Communities town homes due to alcohol-related activities.
“We assisted on a couple of things where kids were running from parties,” Trepkowski said.
Aside from daily and nightly patrolling, University Police is aiming to help students become informed on matters of policy and safety. With the addition of Living Center Southwest, residential parking zones have changed.
“Motorists will have to be patient as people get to know where to park,” Trepkowski said.
Around 100 spaces in the back of lot J2 are now reserved for residents. All freshman residents are to park north of Collings Drive, except for those living in Living Center South who are able to park in the Village lots.
Previously, all freshmen could park in the Village lots. This arrangement raised concerns from upperclassmen who were finding the spaces close to their town homes occupied by Living Center residents, Trepkowski explained.
“We thought that made sense so we did the best we could to balance it, and I think it will all work out,” he said.
New safety measures include the more than 100 surveillance cameras installed during the summer. The cameras are in Curtiss Hall, residence halls, parking lots and the Ryder Center. Additional cameras are planned for Science East.
The cameras are able to record all activities and are monitored 24 hours a day. The station can monitor all activities from the desk.
“The cameras are a pretty good asset to go back and look at incidents,” said Marc Strain, a University Police sergeant.
Further developments include an outdoor P.A. system that police anticipate will be operational in mid- October.
“It’s just another avenue to communicate should an emergency situation arise so we can get the word out,” Trepkowski said.
Both the cameras and the P.A. system are part of the department’s goal to create a larger and more comprehensive security system.
The station is located at South Campus Complex A across the street from the off-campus Campus Village Community. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.