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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Behind the scenes at Safety and Security

As they sit in a room on the second floor of Dick's House, certain College employees can open doors located across campus.

But they do not have superhuman powers.

The employees work for Safety and Security, and their operation utilizes a wide variety of high technology equipment -- from tilt-alarm radios to inebriation-simulating goggles -- although they recently worked with a whale harpoon, too.

Crime Prevention Officer Rebel Roberts said the Safety and Security dispatch center in Dick's House monitors building alarms, assists Safety and Security officers around campus and receives urgent and non-emergency phone calls 24 hours a day.

The link between dispatch and mobile officers creates a system that allows for fast responses to problems.

"I think people like to see us when they need us, but sometimes they don't look any further than that," Roberts said.

Making the rounds

Roberts said Safety and Security monitors approximately 130 buildings and the campus grounds between them.

One officer patrols in a vehicle or on foot during the day, and nine additional Safety and Security guards each walk about 13 miles between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. nightly.

Each night guard makes four rounds to about 18 buildings, stopping on every floor. The guards check for suspicious people and check for fire safety and other violations in and around the buildings.

"We find a lot of vagrants sleeping in areas," Roberts said.

She said the bottom and top floors of all buildings have "punch stations" -- black boxes mounted on the wall into which night officers push their hand radios to tell dispatch they have visited.

Roberts said the "punch stations" explain the noises students sometimes hear when Safety and Security officers enter their dorms.

Any night officer who becomes endangered can press a panic button on his hand radio. Because all officers "punch in" at each stop, dispatch knows their approximate locations and can send a patrol officer to help, Roberts said.

The hand radio alarms are also triggered if the radios are tilted for more than 30 seconds, indicating that the officer may have fallen or been knocked down.

To the rescue

In addition to assisting its officers, Roberts said the Safety and Security dispatch center responds to campus building alarms.

As soon as an alarm sounds, a printer in the Safety and Security dispatch center prints out the location and cause of the alarm -- fire, intrusion, malfunction or other reason.

Safety and Security is alerted about main fire alarms in residence halls but only knows about dorm room smoke alarms if students call for assistance, Roberts said.

After reading the printout, the dispatch monitor contacts a patrol officer to visit the building and call for more help if necessary. The Hanover Fire Department also responds to residence hall alarms, as does an employee from Facilities Operation and Management.

Roberts said while residence halls only have fire alarms, the College has taken higher security measures for about 30 buildings on campus.

In high security buildings, alarms sound when doors open after hours or a panic button is pressed. Certain items in buildings also set off alarms if they tilt too far in one direction, Roberts said.

Roberts would not name the buildings which have higher security, because she said intruders could break in more easily if they fully understood the system.

She said alarms are also triggered by situations that could damage property, such as extreme temperature changes or a large increase in the water level in the basement.

Some buildings are also monitored by video cameras.

Dispatch center employees can see certain buildings' floor plans on a computer screen.

A door that has been opened flashes on the screen, and a dispatch officer who needs to lock or unlock the door can click on it and choose the program option.

Safety and Security only opens and closes doors from its offices during emergencies. "We don't do it for students that are locked out," Roberts said.

From guns to goggles

Safety and Security's offices also include a "weapons storage" room.

Roberts said the department stores 34 guns for groups such as the Bait and Bullet club and ROTC, in addition to 21 recreational guns that belong to students.

Handguns are not allowed. Neither is the whale harpoon Roberts said the department recently confiscated from a student.

Safety and Security is also known for its paraphernalia -- particularly its "fatal vision" goggles, which Roberts said are worth about $200 each.

The goggles, popularly known as "beer goggles," demonstrate the effect that alcohol has on vision impairment. It is difficult for a student who wears the goggles to walk in a straight line.

The goggles are used to educate students about alcohol, Roberts said.

College Proctor Robert McEwen said Safety and Security receives about 160,000 phone calls per year, up from about 95,000 six years ago.

"That's a lot of activity for a small dispatch center," he said.

McEwen attributed the increase in calls to added buildings on campus and additional programs offered by Safety and Security.

The department's programs include escort services, crime prevention programs, a Rape Aggression Defense class, dorm room unlocks, a lost and found and bicycle registration.

McEwen said Safety and Security consults with other New Hampshire colleges and law enforcement organizations to share information about effective campus safety programs.