Security on Patrol

Norwich students, faculty and community members rely on the watchful eye of Norwich's seven security officers in many ways, from patrols around campus to their participation in events such as Junior Ring and Alumni Weekend.

Chief of Security Michael Abraham and his officers have a multitude of jobs at Norwich. They keep an eye out for anyone in need of assistance as they go around the grounds. At other times they help direct drivers with parking so that swarms of vehicles can come and go without problems at events.

However, even though the Norwich security officers are a constant presence on campus, external help is often needed in order to ensure that all aspects of big events are hassle-free and safe for the Norwich community.

Norwich University employs both its own security guards and external enforcement help to ensure all participants in campus events have a safe and problem-free experience, according to Michael Kelley, the vice president of student affairs.

Abraham and the other officers have a "usual routine," which they alter slightly as needed on days when large events will occur.

"Other than myself there are six other officers here," he said. "We're small, but efficient. Our priority in the mornings is parking, so we go through a usual routine where we start by checking Jackman parking lot to make sure no one's parked there who shouldn't be, then we move on to other tasks that help to keep everyone's day running smoothly."

A normal day for Abraham and the other officers may consist of mundane tasks, such as ticketing vehicles that are incorrectly parked on campus, but when it comes to big events their jobs become more important.

That means that when it comes to events such as Regimental Ball, Abraham and the other Norwich security officers have their hands full with extra responsibilities.

"Depending on what the event is, we have different things to do that are more important than they are at others," he said. "Sometimes traffic and parking are the most important issues. If we need more security officers around, then it means we may be expecting trouble."

Kelley explains that sometimes the school has to call in outside law enforcement.

"If there's an issue with unlawful substances on campus our officers don't have the ability to test those substances," he said. "We need the support of external security whom have that ability, which mainly means the Northfield Police Department (NPD)."

As well as the NPD, Gail Mears, who is the coordinator of the Substance Abuse and Education Prevention Programs on campus, makes herself accessible in her office during events in case a student who isn't sober needs help.

"Basically (myself and the people I work with) oversee some of the students, and we offer them safety initiatives during the events and weekends," she said. "If a student comes to me, and they're under the influence of a substance like alcohol, or their friend is, then I'm available for them, I won't turn them away or deny them help."

When Mears is faced with a student under the influence, she has to make a choice.

"I'll either help the student do something like get back to their room safely and lay down in bed," she said, "or I'll make sure they're directed to the next proper authority figure they need to see, such as the infirmary. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to, and I'm fine doing that too."

Mears added that, as well as the work her office does, there's also a sexual assault team member available to help students.

"In addition to (my coworkers and I) there's Bobbi Gagne, the Director of the Sexual Assault Crisis team, who is on campus and can be spoken to confidentially," she said. "No one wants something like that to occur, but it's better to be prepared and have someone on campus at the time who can handle that type of emergency than not to have anyone there."

Kelley added that whenever the campus officials work in conjunction with the NPD or other local law enforcement agencies, he makes sure that they know ahead of time that it's going to be a big event weekend, so they can prepare for any eventualities.

"If we know there's a major event coming up, let's use Junior Ring for example, then we're going meet with them well in advance," he said. "That way they know that it's going to be a high-risk weekend for safety with things such as substance abuse happening, and that we'll need additional support for our own security."

In addition, Abraham also notifies the community when there's going to be a big occasion on campus.

"For example, on parent's weekend when there are a lot of people on campus, what I normally do is I send a letter some weeks ahead of time to the town of Northfield," he said. "I request a parking ban so that they can park in places where the town normally doesn't allow, since we don't always have enough parking on campus."

Another step Abraham and Kelley take to certify the safety of students, and Norwich community members alike, is making sure there are adequate emergency vehicles available in case of a crisis.

"We ask for support from the town of Northfield with ambulances, as well as from the NPD for traffic control out along Route 12, since we don't have any jurisdiction out there because it's a state road," he said. "This way if there's an emergency we're as prepared as we can be."

Fortunately, Abraham added,  all the campus officers normally need the NPD for is traffic control, rather than any large-scale crises or serious emergencies.

According to Mears, her office is "generally open until 3 a.m.," and various security staff can be found around campus, as well as in the building where the event is taking place.

Kelley said that in addition to "patrolling the campus grounds" during events along with Norwich's security officers, the NPD also helps by sometimes setting up to check for drunk drivers.

"They set up a sobriety checkpoint on Route 12, just outside of campus, with our full knowledge," he said. "This way our students know that if they're leaving campus they need to be driving safely and smartly because it's highly likely they may be stopped and checked to make sure that they're (sober)."

As an alternative to driving, Mears' office offers safe rides to students, even if they haven't been drinking.

"A safe ride means that if a student feels uncomfortable, for any reason, we can offer them a ride to or from campus," she said. "The student doesn't have to be inebriated, although that does happen sometimes. We want the students to be as safe as possible no matter why they need the ride, and no matter what situation they're in."