Welcome to Dean College Public Safety
At Dean College, the safety and security of the entire community is a matter of the highest priority. The Dean College Department of Public Safety, with the support and cooperation of other College departments strives to keep the campus safe and secure. Trained professional officers are an essential part of this program; however, a truly safe campus is only achieved through the collaborative efforts of all Dean College community members.
Our goal is to be part of the educational process. We encourage students to make responsible decisions both on the Dean College campus, where consideration for others rights is principal, and off campus as well. We welcome suggestions that will enhance our services and look forward to working with others in maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Kenneth F. Corkran
Director of Public Safety & Risk Management
Department of Public Safety
The Department of Public Safety provides around-the-clock protection and services to the entire campus community throughout the year. The Department, lead by the Director of Public Safety, consists of ten sworn police officers. Officers receive their legal authority from either the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (General Laws Chapter 22c Section 63) or the town of Franklin. Their training has been secured through the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council, Massachusetts State Police, South Suburban Police Institute and/or Securitas Security Systems USA, Inc. They are charged with the enforcement of federal, state and local laws, as well as College policies and procedures on Dean College property. Additionally, all officers are trained in CPR, and as First responders for medical emergencies.
The Department works closely with the Franklin Police and Fire Departments on matters of safety and security, both on our campus property and in the Franklin Community.
Reporting Criminal Actions or Other Emergencies
Timely Notification of Criminal Activity
All members of the Dean College community are made aware of potentially dangerous situations or safety precautions that should be taken through:
· Community Text Messaging Notification
· Community Voicemail Notification
· Community E-Mail Notification
· Public Log - is a chronological record of all crimes and on-campus fires in a student housing facility reported to the Department of Public Safety and is maintained for a 60 day prior interval at the Public Safety Office and is available for viewing during regular business hours.
· Public Safety Alerts
· Annual Dean College Public Safety Report – is distributed throughout the College community and is available to the media and any individual or organization requesting a copy, simply telephone either 508-541-1700 or 508-541-1686 and request a copy be mailed.
· Bulletin Board Postings
Reporting Incidents of Crime
The Department of Public Safety provides a comprehensive program of police, security, crime prevention, fire safety, and emergency medical, parking and related public safety services to help ensure the College maintains a safe and secure environment in which to study, reside and work.
Dean College’s education and awareness efforts encourage the reporting of ALL incidents and any suspicious activity to the proper authority. These authorities could include the Department of Public Safety, the Director of Student Conduct & Community Standards, the Office of Residence Life, the Office of Human Resources, and the Franklin Police Department.
The Department of Public Safety provides the following options for community members to report incidents and/or occurrences of crime:
Main Number: 541-1888, or ext. 1888 on campus/ Emergency Number: 528-9888 Anonymous Tip Line: 541-1704, or ext. 1704 on campus.
This line is available to those community members who require confidentiality. It is monitored by a Supervisor within the department.
Maintaining Safe and Secure Campus Facilities
The Dean College Public Safety Department works with both Residential Life and the Facilities Departments to ensure that our building and grounds are safe places to study and work. Prevention initiatives and inspections are conducted and problems are promptly reported through our on-line School-dude system to the Facilities Department for repairs. For those security concerns that require prompt attention, Facilities is contacted immediately and the situation is handled as expeditiously as possible. Prevention Initiatives Include:
· locking and alarm systems
· fire equipment
· exterior doors and windows
· emergency/interior/exterior lighting
· hazardous physical conditions
Public Safety Services and Crime Prevention
The following crime prevention initiatives and services have been designed to heighten student and employee awareness and safety.
• Timely Notification of Criminal Activity
• Dissemination of Crime Prevention Literature
• Card Access Monitoring
• Security/Fire Prevention Assessments
• Safety and Crime Prevention Seminars
• Camera Surveillance System
• Anonymous Tip Line
• College Shuttle Service
• CPR/First Responder
• Self-Defense/RAD Programs
• Rape/Domestic Abuse Awareness Programs
• Drug/Alcohol Education Programs
• Electronic Alarm Monitoring System
• Student and Parent Orientation Programs
• Safety Escorts
• Walking and Bicycle Patrols
· Operation Identification Program
Educational programs conducted by the Department of Public Safety may at times be done in conjunction with the Office of Residence Life and the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards. These programs will be conducted continually throughout the year.
Annual Fire Safety Information
The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires the College to prepare a report which includes required information about the student housing fire safety systems, fire drills, fire safety policies, education and training programs and statistics for the three most recent calendar years to include number of fires on campus housing, cause of each fire and number of injuries/fatalities related to each fire, and the value of property damaged. There have been no fires (zero) in on-campus housing in the past three years
On-Campus Housing Fire Safety Equipment and Plans for Future Improvement
All of Dean College’s residence halls have full sprinkler systems and networked fire alarm systems. When a fire alarm is activated, the alarm goes directly to the Franklin Fire Department. The Franklin Fire Department then contacts the Department of Public Safety, which is staffed, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, via a direct ring down line. An officer is then dispatched to that area to make initial assessments, assist with evacuations and assist Franklin Fire upon their arrival.
Supervised Fire Drills
Mandatory, supervised fire drills are conducted for all residence halls and academic buildings twice an academic year once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester by Public Safety officers in conjunction with the Franklin Fire Department. Additionally, each time new residents occupy a residence hall during the summer for camp-related activities, a fire drill is conducted to ensure the temporary residents are familiar with evacuation routes and procedures.
Evacuation Policy and Procedures
The Relocation Plan provides the following instructions to be followed in the case of an evacuation emergency:
Evacuation emergencies include fires, hazmat and explosion emergencies (when evacuation is directed by emergency personnel), natural gas leaks, unplanned utility outages, bomb threats and other situations in which emergency personnel direct evacuation of a building. In the event of fire or other evacuation emergencies at Dean College, all persons in the affected premises must evacuate. Community members will be notified of a fire or other evacuation emergency by a fire alarm audible signal. Initial emergency notifications may also be followed by e-mail, text messages and phone communications (voice mail) if appropriate. After evacuation, all persons will proceed to their designated “rally points” based on their current building occupancy, unless directed otherwise by Public Safety personnel.
Know the location of all exits from your building. All exits in College facilities are marked with EXIT signs and directional arrows.
Leave the building and assemble in the designated area assigned for your building, where you will not hinder the approaching emergency response personnel and apparatus. Students and employees should attempt to account for individuals that are known to be in the building, including all visitors. Any missing individuals should be reported to the Department of Public Safety or emergency personnel. In addition, security personnel will conduct a sweep of all floors if sufficient personnel are available and it is safe to do so.
Wait for Public Safety officers or emergency personnel to tell you when it is safe to return to the affected building. Even though the alarm may stop, the building may not be safe to re-enter.
If re-entry to the building is not imminent, occupants will be directed to proceed to another location. Depending on the severity and scale of the event that triggered the evacuation, Public Safety will implement procedures to account for all College employees and residents known to have been in the building, and all are expected to cooperate in the effort. To the extent possible, telephone and computers will be provided to allow employees and residents to contact family members.”
Fire Safety Education and Training Programs
All Resident Directors and Community Advisors receive fire safety and emergency action plan training and are responsible for providing fire safety training to students. Prior to the first fire drill of the year, each Community Advisors conducts a mandatory house meeting for students during which evacuation procedures, and fire safety rules are reviewed with new and returning students.
All residence hall rooms are equipped with evacuation maps and posted on the back of the door which indicates the safest and most direct exit routes from the room in the case of an emergency. Also on the back of the door in each room is a copy of the College’s Campus Emergency Procedures Guide which provides information on how to respond appropriately in any number of emergency situations.
Professional staff and faculty members receive Emergency Action Plan training during which fire safety and evacuation and procedures are reviewed. Staff and faculty are provided with copies of the Campus Emergency Procedures Guide at that time and the guides are displayed throughout campus. In addition, Resident Directors, Public Safety Officers and Facilities employees are provided with training as well as hands-on fire extinguisher training by a professional firefighter instructor in order to ensure their familiarity with campus equipment. The emergency fire and evacuation plans are reviewed annually to insure continuous improvement of Dean College’s Fire Safety preparedness.
Dean College Statement on Sex Offenses
Dean College values the health and safety of every individual on campus and
expects its students to treat other persons with respect and dignity. Dean College recognizes the critical need to develop policies and programs that support victims/survivors and encourages them to report sexual offenses (forcible and non-forcible) to the College staff. The College is committed to providing a working and learning environment that is free from all forms of abuse, harassment or coercive conduct and to offering the educational programs designed to meet these goals. Any behavior which causes the sexual abuse/assault of another person will not be tolerated, and is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, and may result in sanctions up to a student’s dismissal from the College. Judicial action on the part of the College does not preclude the possibility of criminal charges against the accused individual and vice versa.
Dean College recognizes the critical need to develop policies and programs that will support the victim/survivor and secondly, that will encourage victims/survivors to report sexual assaults to the College staff and finally, that will educate the community in an effort to prevent sexual offenses. The College is committed to providing a safe working and learning environment. This policy seeks to protect the rights of all members of the College community to be treated with respect and dignity.
College Commitment
A sexual offense committed by a community member will not be tolerated by the Dean College Community. If there is reasonable cause to believe that any person has committed such an offense and that person is considered a threat to the community, that individual may be promptly removed from the campus to ensure safety. To further ensure this safety, the community will be informed that a policy violation has been reported and is being investigated. Dean College will provide and maintain educational programs for all community members, some aspects of which will be required. The educational aspects of this policy are intended to prevent sexual offenses, and ultimately, to heighten community awareness.
Any campus community member wishing to obtain information regarding registered sex offenders in the area may do so by calling the Department of Public Safety at 508-541-1888 or the Franklin Police Department directly at 508-528-1212 or from the Franklin Police web page at www.franklinpd.com and select the “Residents” drop down tab.
Dean College Statement on Alcohol and Drugs
Dean College is dedicated to creating an atmosphere conducive to the well-being
of its members. This responsibility goes beyond the classroom activities to
include the cultural, social, and recreational pursuits of its members. Understanding that alcohol is a drug and constitutes significant problems within our society, Dean College recognizes that the campus is not exempt from these problems. Knowing alcohol can have a negative effect on a student’s academic performance, as well as physical/mental health and personal development, the College supports and promotes respect for an adherence to federal, state and local laws regarding the use of alcohol and drugs.
The Dean College community recognizes the importance of personal and collective responsibility in regards to its alcohol policy. The Dean College community advocates
for and enforces policy in an attempt to maintain a dry campus (excluding sanctioned residence halls/houses). Any student who consumes alcohol not only accepts responsibility for having violated the alcohol policy, but also accepts responsibility for his/her consequent behavior and may be addressed accordingly; being intoxicated will not be accepted as an excuse for erratic, irresponsible, and/or disruptive behavior either to one’s person, or any other person(s), or to any property on campus.
College Alcohol Regulations
Alcohol/Drug Education Programs
Dean College provides alcohol/drug education programs to educate and inform the entire Dean College community (students, facility, administrative and support staff) of the legal, social and personal consequences related to the misuse of alcohol and other drugs. This education is designed to enhance one’s decision making skills and to help the individual generate alternative healthier choices.
The various means of educating the Dean College Community include: seminars, written material, video resources, peer educators, individual and group counseling, and knowledgeable, professional speakers. Programs are developed and presented to the Dean College Community residence areas, classrooms, the Wellness Center, and the Campus Center. Further information can be obtained from the Wellness Center or the Student Conduct & Community Standards committee.
Campus Security Act
Dean College faithfully adheres to the Campus Security Act which was passed by Congress in 1990 and renamed in 1998 to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. This law requires the College to report specific incidents of campus crime which occurred during the prior three calendar years. This law is continually being updated and amended to incorporate additional campus safety concerns. These amendments are integrated into the Dean College Public Safety Brochure, the newest additions being Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures, Missing Person Procedures, Fire Safety and expanded Hate Crime reporting.
Missing Student Notification Policy
A missing person report is usually the result of a parent or concerned family member not being able to reach a student. This is often due to a student changing his or her routine or behavior without informing friends, family members, or roommates of the change. Anyone who believes a student to be missing should contact the Department of Public Safety, Residence Life, or a Resident Director. Every report made to the Dean College will be followed up with an immediate investigation to determine whether the student is missing.
If a student is missing for 24 hours and it has been brought to the attention of any College official, the official must notify the Department of Public Safety upon confirmation the student is missing.
Students who are 18 years or older and who live in on-campus housing shall be informed they have an option to identify a contact person(s) to be notified if it is determined the student is missing. This information will be maintained confidentially with Dean College and will only be accessible to authorized personnel and disclosed only to law enforcement personnel in furthering their investigation. The students should be aware whether a contact person is named or not the local police will be notified within a 24 hour period.
All students who are under the age of 18 years and who have not been emancipated their parents will be notified. Once a student is confirmed missing the Crisis Manual procedure will be followed.
Hate Crimes
In keeping with the Federal Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act the Department of Public Safety identifies hate crimes separately from other crimes which may be committed on College property. These hate crimes involve victims who were selected because of their actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. This year the reporting of hate crimes is expanded to include larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, vandalism and other crimes involving bodily injury. This reporting is an expansion of the required classifications according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Hate Crimes Data Collection Guidelines. Dean College has had no hate crimes (zero) in any of the above specified categories in the past three years.
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