The Xavierite
At Saint Xavier University, the Public Safety department keep a watchful eye on students and the campus. In an interview with The Xavierite via email, Police Chief Jack Touhy explains the duties of the Public Safety department, how they may respond in certain situations, and some information about the emergency phones around campus.
Students at SXU likely notice that there are many officers in white patrol cars driving within and around the university’s campus.
These cars are there for the students’ overall safety around campus, as many know, but there are other things that these officers do that students may not know.
Touhy explains the functions of the officers in these cars, why there are so many of them on campus, and some additional actions that these officers will partake in, if the need arises.
“Patrolling the campus is one of the main functions of Public Safety, studies have shown that high visibility patrol deters crime. A criminal is more likely to avoid an area with a visible presence of patrols; rather that person will move on to another area. One statistic that cannot be measured is crimes that did not take place simply because of high visible patrols. Additionally, Public Safety responds to vehicle breakdowns, battery jumpstarts, vehicle lockouts, vehicle accidents, room lockouts and access, safety escorts, first aid response, and oversee the shuttle program just to name of few,” said Touhy.
Touhy goes on to explain that there are two types of officers that patrol the campus. Security Officers and Police Officers are the different people students will see as they walk through SXU.
“The Public Safety Department operates with a combination of Security Officers who are unarmed and Police Officers who are State of Illinois certified Police Officers with the same qualifications and legal responsibilities as a municipal police officer,” said Touhy.
Public Safety officers can be found or contacted at any point on campus. If students find that they are in danger or in need of assistance, a Public Safety officer can be notified to help the student. Public Safety’s primary responsibility is safety, which requires them to react and respond to emergency situations.
“Public Safety patrols campus buildings inside and out, as well as outer university properties such as the Visual Arts Center. Additionally, Public Safety is working with Residence Life staff and has a presence in the Residence Halls. Public Safety responds to all calls for service, inside or out, on university property,” said Touhy.
Recently, the Department of Public Safety installed many new emergency telephones around campus. Touhy explains why these phones were placed in the locations that they were and why there is a prominent blue light above each one of them.
“Access to emergency telephones is critical to emergency situations. A majority of people panic when an emergency arises and develop tunnel vision, this can cause delay in reporting and getting first responders to an incident.
The emergency telephones, especially the blue light type, are designed for easy access and visibility for those seeking to call for assistance. We feel that the telephones offer another layer of security to students, employees and those using the campus,” said Touhy.
With time, these phones will benefit the university and continue to ensure safety across campus.
“Emergency telephones are placed for visibility and access across the campus. Public Safety is working with the Information Technology and Business and Finance Departments to develop a matrix timeline for replacement, upgrade and locations of emergency telephones. It is a long term, capital type project. Public Safety has also researched and sought grant funding from local and state resources for this project, however, to date we have not received any funding,” said Touhy.
At Saint Xavier University, Public Safety always has someone available to call in case there is an emergency. Even when the students and the faculty aren’t in class or at work, someone from Public Safety is.
“All university emergency telephone lines are answered by public safety dispatch which is here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays and school breaks. Our dispatchers are trained to gauge the caller’s situation and dispatch the correct resources such as Public Safety, Chicago Police, Fire, Gas, or Electric companies,” said Touhy.
All crime on or around Saint Xavier’s campus is listed on SXU’s website. If any crime or other important situations arise on campus at any time, the campus alert system will send out a text message for those students signed up for the program and the word will be spread.
“By Federal Law, certain crime statistics are tracked and published by schools. Public Safety works with other university departments and area police agencies to compile and publish those statistics, they can be found on the university web page under public safety,” said Touhy.
Overall, with the help of a great staff in the Public Safety Department, Saint Xavier’s campus is a very safe place.
“I think having a safe campus is great. The officers are always on patrol and we have the emergency phones all over campus. I think that the desk workers in all of the dorms are great additions, too, because they make me feel very safe in my dorm,” said Public Safety student office worker Tatyana Canady.
Canady has been working for the department for a little over a year now. She says that she supports all of the safety innovations on campus and looks forward to seeing what additions the department will make in the future.
Touhy ends with information about comparing crime statistics, and how Saint Xavier sees very little. Also, if any student is ever in need of help from Public Safety, they should not hesitate to call or contact them to help maintain a safe campus.
“Comparing crime information to other universities is very difficult, due to differing sizes of student populations, location, residential versus commuter school, public safety presence, etcetera. That said, we are most fortunate not to experience a lot of crime which we attribute to our alert student and employee assistance in not hesitating to contact public safety when they see something that seems out of sort. Along with highly visible patrols and the ‘see something, say something’ attitude of our students and employees, working in a team effort all helps in keeping the campus a safe and welcoming place,” said Touhy.
For non-emergencies, Public Safety can be reached at extension 3950 or 4400. In case of emergency, Public Safety can be reached at extension 3911 from any campus phone. Please email publicsafety@sxu.edu with any questions or concerns.
Julie Gardner
News Editor
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