Excellence with a Personal Touch Robert L. Spinks, MA, MS Chief of Police www/mcneese.edu/police 4314 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, LA 70605 Like Us on Facebook at McNeese State University Police Department 1
MESSAGE FROM YOUR CHIEF OF POLICE ROBERT SPINKS, MA, MS Welcome to the 2013 McNeese State University Police Department Annual Update Report. This report is not the federally mandated Annual Security Report (ASR), but is an overview of performance and statistical data to provide a perspective on the activities of YOUR University Police. 2013 was a challenging year. As you will see from the statistical data, we encountered an increased call load of incidents. While actual crime has remained at a constant level, the Department was highly engaged in public safety and service issues, which have an impact on preventing, displacing and deterring crime on and around the university. Again this year, our clearance of crime through arrests and successful investigations is more than double the national average. The total number of incidents handled by the Department grew this year by roughly 10% to 3,278. This has kept our Department busy. We were in the top third of the busiest police departments in the University of Louisiana System, with the smallest policing staff. We saw the addition of a police officer position this year to focus on investigations. The support of the University has been significant even during the current period of fiscal strain. Early in 2013, the police staff worked to create the mission, vision and the guiding principles for the agency. This was an important first step in our strategic planning process, which will include the recommendations made by the LEMAP Report from the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Ultimately, we have the goal of achieving law enforcement accreditation through IACLEA in the coming years. We have been innovative in looking for grants, donated equipment and have partnered with both internal and external partners to meet the needs of the police department. The Department obtained donated equipment or re-purposed and/or saved the University over $240,000 over the past 16 months including the ATV, two replacement (used) patrol cars, portable radios, car radios and used dispatch consoles. Tactically, we have made improvements in purchasing new tactical vests, standardized our duty holsters, and issued tactical flashlights for our handguns. During the 1st half of 2014 our new use of force simulator was installed at the police department. The simulator will be used not only by police staff, but also by criminal justice majors, and we will invite students, staff and faculty to experience the simulator experience. The Department is committed to have 100% of our Officers certified in Critical Incident Team (CIT) skills to serve as first responders to people in crisis. We will achieve the initial goal of training half of our patrol staff in 2014 and will continue toward meeting our 100% goal in 2015. We completed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Sheriff s Office, Lake Charles Police, Ward 3 Marshal s Office and the Iowa Police Department that cover day-to-day interaction, mutual aid and special event coverage. We will continue this process with the Westlake, Sulphur, and DeQuincy Police Departments as part of Clery Act compliance. Higher visibility on campus has been achieved not just by the adoption of a new agency patch, campaign hats, and new patrol unit graphics, but also through our use of alternative patrol methods including bicycle patrols and the use of the new Police ATV (which added over 750 miles of interior campus patrols). We received the support of the Student Senate to accept our request to increase the Student Safety Assessment to $5 per term. This request went to the UL System Board of Regents where it was approved and unfortunately the fee increase failed in the Spring 2014 student vote. The good news is that the Safety Fee was the one fee that came closest to 2
being approved by the students in a list of fee requests from multiple organizations across campus. This loss in new funding will slow and inhibit crime prevention, outreach and capital purchases. We are now focusing on improvements to our Dispatch/CCTV Center and building remodel that has 10 phased-in steps to achieve improved building efficiencies in the coming years. We are on the road of continuous improvement, and we still have a very full plate facing us. We will be in the recruiting and hiring phase throughout 2014, in part to the retirement of Lt Vickie Boudreaux (23 years of service) and the resignations of Sgt David Fruge and Sgt Donald Sherer. We are looking for committed and self-motivated individuals who can acclimate into an organization that continues to evolve and provide professional public safety services to our university community. Looking Forward Through 2014: We conducted an Active Shooter Response Training event for the Spring of 2014 to achieve Clery drill requirements. We will roll out the Rape Aggression and Defense (RAD) Training Program in the Fall now that we have two certified RAD Instructors on staff who can teach both the 9-hour training course. We are committed to cross-training our officers as Emergency Medical Responders (EMR) and Tactical Combat Medics in order to respond to natural and man-made disasters and mass casualty events. This will also improve medical response on campus for routine medical and injury calls. We will increase our instructor rolls by assigning current staff to receive training as a officer survival instructor, radar instructor, firearms armorer, defensive tactics instructor, C-CERT Instructor and other specialties as training becomes available. We will host a US Department of Justice, Officer Survival Instructor course on campus in the Summer of 2014. We completed our agreement with the State of Louisiana and the US Army to take advantage of the Demilitarization and Reutilization of Military Ordinance (DRMO) program which could provide used equipment to the police department. Two Department members completed Assessor Certification Training for School-Based Threat, Risk and Vulnerability Assessments. We will, as funding allows, continue to expand the use of patrol bicycles on campus to supplement traditional vehicle patrols. The College-Community Emergency Response Team (CCERT) Program continues to be a goal for the Department, but is dependent on funding and available staff resources. While we did receive $40,000 in equipment we will need to identify a Program Coordinator and trainer to continue to evolve the program. We will begin reaching out to our Building Coordinators in the Fall to include them in this program. Development of Emergency Guides remains a goal, which would have been funded through the expanded Student Safety Assessment fee. We will continue to increase our lines of communication with the Student Government Association. Established a Police Facebook page to better link with our university community. The Department is conducting a benchmarking survey of Louisiana University Police Departments on services, staffing, training and resources. 3
MISSION STATEMENT The McNeese State University Police Department provides professional public safety services to the university community to protect life and property. We foster and maintain an environment that supports the well-being of our students, staff, faculty and visitors by forming partnerships to enhance the quality of life and the learning environment for all community members. We are law enforcement professional, sensitive to the needs and expectations of the individual and dedicated to serving our growing university community. We are evolving to meet the changing needs of our university community, while maintaining our commitment to excellence in the highest traditions of the police service. The Department espouses certain individual and organizational principles or VALUES that guide how we provide our service and direct the manner in which we treat each other and the community. WE ARE DEDICATED: To do the right thing, for the right reasons. WE ARE PROFESSIONAL: We are well-trained, competent employees and volunteers who demonstrate the highest level of performance and teamwork. We are bound by the highest standards of accountability and ethical conduct. WE ARE FAIR: We treat members of our Department and community equitably and are consistent in protecting the constitutional rights of all. Activity Overview Total Complaints Handled by McNeese State University Police Total incidents include all calls for service handled by the McNeese State University Police Department. All incidents include citizen assists, suspicious circumstance calls, bank transports and medical and fire calls as well as disturbances, crime investigations and traffic and criminal investigations. Note: 2014 is an estimate based on current calls for service year-to-date. 4
TYPE OF INCIDENT 2010 2011 2012 2013 911 Hang Up 9 6 5 3 Vehicle Crash 66 70 65 55 Alarm 194 211 178 196 Alcohol Violation 9 18 6 10 Ambulance Call 9 7 3 3 Animal Call 8 12 12 16 Assault 4 8 2 3 Assist Other Dept 86 270 Assist Person 283 313 146 333 Battery 1 1 Bicycle 1 1 4 4 Burglary/Vehicle 10 18 Burglary 8 9 7 5 Check, Area 81 78 91 148 Check, Building 49 39 48 77 Check, Person 65 64 63 208 Check, Vehicle 70 60 34 114 Civil 2 3 1 Criminal Damage 14 21 10 3 Damage, Accident 7 14 Damage to Property 11 17 Disturbance 46 39 25 26 Domestic 1 1 2 2 Drug Related 5 7 Escort 25 38 75 45 Explosion 3 Field Interview 17 7 8 22 Fire Call 13 15 11 Forgery 1 Found Property 7 7 8 11 Fraud 1 Hang-Up Phone Call 4 Harassing Phone 7 8 1 Harassment 6 13 Health Hazard 4 1 1 1 Hit and Run 21 24 15 16 Immobilized Vehicle 321 232 195 202 Information 35 46 24 40 TYPE OF INCIDENT 2010 2011 2012 2013 Injured Party 4 6 4 4 Juvenile 1 Littering/Ill Dumping 2 1 Lock Building / Gate 6 6 1 Lost and Found 5 5 7 Lost /Missing Person 2 3 3 3 Maintenance 114 176 136 180 Medical Emergency 32 37 17 28 Miscellaneous 144 150 57 32 Narcotics Violation 14 10 7 2 Noise Complaint 38 15 21 30 Open Door/Gate 30 74 45 50 Other 15 6 Parking Complaint 164 106 83 128 Private Lot Crash 29 27 32 31 Property, Lost/Found 1 2 3 3 Roadway Obstruction 6 2 Robbery 1 Runaway 1 1 Shot Fired 1 1 1 Stolen Vehicle 3 Student Code Vio. 25 9 6 5 Suicide Attempt 1 1 Suspicious Activity 13 13 6 10 Suspicious Person 85 78 46 44 Suspicious Vehicle 24 14 10 14 Theft 70 56 41 45 Traffic Complaint 9 12 6 10 Traffic Stop 1172 986 520 729 Transport 3 Trespassing 2 2 Unlock Building/Door 13 12 23 24 Unlock Gate 2 2 1 Vandalism/Damage 18 8 9 8 Vehicle 25 11 12 1 Warrant 5 5 Wire Down 1 1 1 TOTAL 2,970 2,855 2,297 3,278 5
Disposition and Location of Incidents Handled DISPOSITION OF INCIDENTS HOW HANDLED Incidents LOCATION OF INCIDENTS HANDLED Incidents Information Leg Entry 214 Arrest Made 14 Arrest/Released on Citation 139 Assistance Rendered 455 Cancelled by Complainant 20 Civil Matter 3 False Alarm 202 Field Interview 104 Gone on Arrival of Police 56 Notified Patrol 5 Ofc Dispatched 13 Office Visit 217 Outside Agency Assist 337 Parking Ticket Issued 38 Phone 11 Referred to Maintenance 234 Refer to Other Agency 187 Refer to Safety Person 1 Refer to Student Services 4 Report on File 245 Subject Removed 2 Summon Issued 6 Supplement Report Made 1 Unable to Assist 36 Unfounded 18 Vehicle Boot Removed 25 Vehicle Booted 168 Vehicle Towed 5 Warning Given 518 TOTAL 3,278 Non-Campus Building 1 North North Side of Town 2 On-Campus 1911 Other 331 Off Campus 3 Public Property 807 Residence Halls 220 South South Side of Town 3 CRIME PREVENTION Behavioral and property based crimes can be an indicator of a traditional community s as well as a university community s overall level of livability and safety. These types of crimes can also be precursor warnings to the development of more serious crime in the future. Key indicator crimes include disturbances, vandalism, thefts, burglary, domestic violence calls, and car prowls. By paying attention to these crime trends today, the police and the university community can see trends that may later lead to more serious types of criminal activity. The results of quickly nipping quality of life crimes at their root causes supports the Broken Windows theory of crime prevention. If minor violations and crimes are left unchecked by the university community, then a breeding ground for crime develops which, if allowed to remain, gives rise to additional and more serious crimes. In a small community such as our university community, it is relatively easy to drive through unkempt neighborhoods that might surround the University and then overlay crime mapping on those areas on campus to see the accuracy of the Broken Windows Theory of Crime Prevention. Proactively addressing nuisance code violations, abandoned vehicles, and minor criminal activity really is the first line of defense to protect the overall quality of life and livability at McNeese State University. 6
The University Police Department presented a training session for our first class of Campus - Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT) members in 2013. Eventually, University Building Coordinators, Assistant Building Coordinators, other university staff as well as students will continue to grow the program providing a backbone of para-professional volunteers operating under the umbrella of the University Police Department. This trained cadre will be activated for natural and man-made disasters, building evacuations, fires, and special events such as during the homecoming week parade and other major events. The C-CERT course will teach students, staff and faculty members to deal with an emergency or disaster situation on the university campus. These important life skills include hands-on medical operations, light search and rescue, fire suppression, disaster psychology, and a full scale disaster simulation. The Basic C-CERT training program consists of 24 hours of basic training. The McNeese State University Police Department C- CERT Program is the first and only campus based CERT Program in the State of Louisiana. People who go through C-CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lessen the effects of these hazards on themselves, their homes or workplace. If a disaster happens that overwhelms local response capability, C-CERT members can apply the training learned in the classroom and during exercises to give critical support to their family, loved ones, neighbors or associates in their immediate area until help arrives. When help does arrive, C-CERTs provide useful information to responders and support their efforts, as directed, at the disaster site. C-CERT members can also assist with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community. C-CERTs have been used to distribute and/or install smoke alarms, replace smoke alarm batteries in the home of elderly, distribute disaster education material, provide services at special events, such as parades, sporting events, concerts and more. 7
Total Parking Citations Issued 2011 to 2013 While parking citations are often viewed as being a major activity for the University Police to engage in, the majority of parking enforcement is conducted by our part-time student ticket writers who work between 10 and 15 hours-a-week during the regular university year. These civilian staff members monitor both permit parking and more serious violations including fire zone and handicap parking violations. With the addition of the new Student Parking Garage, there has been an approximately 20% reduction in parking citations. Annually about $220,000 is collected from illegal parking and these funds go directly to the general fund of the University and have no impact on the police department budget. Parking permits generate approximately $200,000 annually and fund maintenance and repaving of parking lots, paint striping, software to operate the parking permit system, printing of permits, one civilian position to manage the parking permit system and other operational costs directly connected to the parking lots. A current loan that repaved one of the parking lots 10 years ago will be paid off this coming year. The parking permit fund is managed by the Director of the Physicals and Plant Operations. The students voted a parking fee that is dedicated to paying off the $14 million revenue bond that was used to build the new 3-story student parking garage. 8