Feeling Safe Today ?

By: Jennifer M. Levine

Albany, N.Y., Nov. 6, 2007 . Walking down the poorly lit urban road, Quail Street, only minutes away from his dorm room, Tyler Hassenpflug, a freshmen at the time asked himself many questions: “how much did I spend tonight?” “why didn’t I wear a jacket?” and “how many more blocks until I’m home?” However, in a lapse of better judgment late one September night he forgot to ask himself the most important question, “Who is walking behind me?”

That night Hassenpflug was mugged. “Five large men came out of nowhere and surrounded me,” said Hassenpflug. “They took my wallet, IDs and a small amount of cash. I was grateful to get away unharmed.”

Similar to many other students, Hassenpflug chose a college based on its credentials and not its location. Albany crime statistics show in 2006, 29 forcible rapes, 176 robberies, 477 burglary and 1,367 acts of larceny were committed in the city alone.

The Albany area is a college community that includes The College of Saint Rose and the University at Albany. However, no matter the choice of institution students and their families want to know their choice was a safe one.

Saint Rose employs 58 full and part time security guards. With a total student population of 5,194, the student/security guard ratio is approximately 90/1. “Each security guard completes an eight hour New York State Security Guard Training Course, then eight hour College of Saint Rose orientation training and a full background check,” said Steven Stella, the director of Saint Rose’s safety and security department. The Saint Rose orientation course covers campus orientation, policies & procedures, operating alarm systems and key and access control.

When Saint Rose found itself in need of extra manpower, they hired the Albany Police department. Within the partnership between the Albany police department Saint Rose, the college does “pay for certain details” said Stella “others are joint operations.”

This partnership takes place on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with late evening and early morning patrols. These times and dates were chosen based on a statistical analysis of crime by the Albany Police Department.

The statistics found that Thursday through Sunday 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. on Western Avenue and Main Street needed extra patrolling. Both the college security, and the Albany Police Department agreed these times and locations would benefit from additional patrolling.

The extra patrols are broken into two shifts that take place between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m., the first begins at 9 p.m. and lasts until 12 a.m., while the second picks-up at 12 a.m. and goes until 4 a.m. The patrols are conducted on foot with an Albany Police officer and a Saint Rose security guard working side-by-side. All patrols are coordinated with the existing Saint Rose security routine.

With additional assistance from the Albany Police Department, the Saint Rose security department is equipped to handle a variety of safety issues. In addition to the college’s partnership with the Albany Police Department is has a team of faculty on campus to handle emergencies. The Emergency Management team has been in existence for years but did not get its current name until roughly a year ago.

“For a number of years there’s been a crises management team,” said Mary Alice Molgard, assistant professor of communications at the college and a member of the Emergency Management team.

“The reason the name got changed is because we were trying to be more consistent with the dictionary…emergency is most commonly used,” said Marcus Buckley, a co-chair of the team.

The Emergency Management name, which may sound foreign to many students, appeared on the mass email sent from Buckley and Dennis McDonald his co-chair. The email sent was concerning the suspicious package left in a hallway of Albertus Hall on the afternoon of November 26.

When the package was first reported to security, the “top level group” of the team was assembled, “The idea is that the appropriate people are notified,” said Molgard. The package led to an evacuation of the hall that lasted over an hour. Later identified in the email as an unattached laptop bag, it was considered a suspicious package based on its position. “We would much rather error on the side of caution,” said Buckley.

The Emergency management team meets every three to four weeks “We’re in the mist of incorporating new polices and procedures; in light of what happened at Virginia Tech,” Molgard said.

New polices and procedures include laminated evacuation and assembly maps, and an instant message notification system that will alert students swiftly “Were hoping everything will be ready for the spring semester,” said Molgard.

The Emergency Management Team and the partnership between the college and the police department are not familiar to the students as the more commonly known services of blue lights and escorts.

“I commute from home but am on campus late because of my practice schedule,” said Meghan Masterson, an athlete on the college’s cheerleading team. “I don’t like walking to my car in the dark, I have security’s number saved in my phone, I just call them for an escort.”

For evenings when students are off campus, The College of Saint Rose, The University at Albany and The Albany Police Department, created a partnership called Operation Safe Corridor that was put into effect February of 2007.

The partnership consists of areas under "special attention by police and Saint Rose security," Stella said. Signs saying "Operation Safe Corridor" are positioned in the well-lit frequently patrolled areas to signify to students that those roads are safer for traveling. Quail Street, Ontario Street and Western Avenue are streets that bare these Operation Safe Corridor signs.

At The University of Albany Operation Safe Corridor is one of several services offered to maximize student safety. With a growing student body of 17,000, the university has its own police department on campus. The main difference between the two college departments is “they [Saint Rose] are security, we [UAlbany] are police” said Jennifer Fila, inspector of the University at Albany police department “Any criminal act we handle ourselves.”

The University officers are armed with Glock 22 40 calibers, tasers and pepper spray. The department also includes two K9 dogs. One specialized in drugs and the other in bombs. “I think that has been a great tool for us,” said Fila.

The University Police Department offers programs similar to The College of Saint Rose, including 24-hour security, operation safe corridor, an escort service and security e-mail.

"There are e-mails sent out every week on existing and new services” Caitlin Norton, a 1 st year student at the University of Albany explained “as well as on incidents that maybe have occurred during the week."

The University will also contact students by the means that best suits the individual. The program is called SUNY NY Alert Emergency Contact Information; Norton explained, "This is a program where the school first asks students if they want to participate” said Norton. “Then if you decide to you give them your contact information, and tell them how you want to be contacted, either they will call, text or e-mail you.” Reasons for using the Alert Emergency Contract Information would be school shootings similar to Virginia Tech, or weather emergency.

To best apply life saving techniques, similar to those that could be used if another Virginia Tech incident were to occur, the department is “taking an active roll in being prepared by giving scenario training,” said Fila. This year the Albany Police Department trained along side the University police in their scenario training, next year it will be the State Polices turn.

The University at Albany Police department offers several large-scale safety programs such as Operation Safe Corridor, the Alert Emergency Contact Information and the scenario training; however, the University does not shy away from individual safety.

Rape Aggression Defense, for short R.A.D., “really focuses on more physical stuff” said Fila, The program came to the school in 1996 and is open free of charge to women in and outside the University. It is broken into three sessions, which range from three to four hours each. Fila considerers it “one of the most successful.”

In the Albany area where the crime rates speak for themselves both colleges continue in expand their safety measures. “There are constantly security advisories sent out through e-mail or placed on black board because someone was mugged, robbed or raped,” said Hassenpflug, the lone walker.

“We are always looking to make it better, safer…I would never say with 100 percent absolute confidence that all of the bases are covered because the minute you believe you have 100 percent coverage,” said Buckley, “you realize you don’t.”