Public Safety Mission Statement

University of Baltimore Public Safety

Mission

The mission of the Department of Public Safety is to enhance the quality of campus life through the creation of a safe and secure environment for faculty, staff, students, and campus visitors to pursue a positive work and educational experience. This task is accomplished by establishing a partnership with the university community that encourages mutual respect, understanding, cooperation and a fundamental desire to develop problem-solving strategies to address the problems of crime and the perception of crime on campus.

Vision

The Department of Public Safety shall excel in addressing both crime and the perception/fear of crime on our campus. This vision will be accomplished through quality leadership and employing contemporary policing strategies within the highest standards of the campus law enforcement profession. Departmental leadership shall focus on creating a campus environment that addresses these issues in full partnership with all campus members and local community.

Core Values

The Department of Public Safety is “service” oriented. The manner and delivery of our services directly impacts the entire university community. The core values of the department ensure that these services are carried out within professional standards, and the best interests of the University of Baltimore.

  1. Integration of technology
  2. Focused policing
  3. Command and supervisory accountability
  4. Building cooperative relationships with the UB community through the community policing concept
  5. Recognition of the importance of a “customer service” paradigm
  6. Regularly determine the needs of the UB community; and work towards fulfilling the identified needs

 

University Goal 2: The University of Baltimore will increase student enrollment in response to state and regional demand.
 
Objective 2.4:  Strengthen and coordinate retention efforts in all program areas.
 
STRATEGY - Increasing flexibility in the delivery of teaching, learning and student services.
 
Actual crime or the perception/fear of crime on campus can adversely impact student or staff recruitment and retention. Statistically, the campus is safe but a perception may exist due to our urban location that UB is not a safe campus. Therefore, a focused campaign to negate this perception should be undertaken.
 
  • Deliverables: The creation and continued support of a Community Police Officer is essential to provide the services that will be expected by the UB community, and to continue to keep in-step with the growth and expansion at UB. Some examples of these services are: computerized crime mapping, crime prevention for housing on/off campus, and a public safety liaison for landlord/university crime prevention issues.   This position will dedicate a staff member and resources to that very concept – increasing the perception that UB is a safe campus. Of course, the entire campus community shall benefit from a police officer dedicated to investigating crime and preventing crime. This position provides for a consistent proactive methodology to crime fighting. This proactive approach will improve the perception of crime on and around campus which is critical to the challenges now faced by the university.
  • Responsible person (s): Sam Tress, Paul Deachilla, Robyne Spencer
  • Timeline: January 2010
  • Other offices/departments involved: Student organizations, University Council, Center for Student Involvement, UR, HR, Student Affairs
  • Estimated Cost: As provided by SVP, Admin. & Finance
  • Success Measurements:
  1. greater perception of a safe campus environment
  2. clearly defined service expectations
  3. improved crime prevention efforts
  4. increased recruitment and/or retention of students
 
  
University Goal 3: The University of Baltimore will further develop its role in community engagement and regional stewardship.
 
Objective 3.5:  Continue to build and implement public/private development partnerships that meet University and community needs and contribute to the economic and social vitality of midtown Baltimore.
 
STRATEGY – Strengthening participation and leadership roles in the Central Baltimore Partnership, the Baltimore Collegetown Network and other local and regional organizations.
 
  • Deliverables: Currently, key Public Safety personnel are members in the following local, neighborhood and regional groups: Baltimore Penn Station Action Team, Central Baltimore Partnership, Central Baltimore Public Safety Task Force, Midtown Community Security Committee, and Baltimore Police Department weekly commanders meeting. We shall strive to continue to provide support, direction, and leadership to these important organizations that ensure the health and vitality of the community in which UB resides.
  • Responsible person (s): Sam Tress, Michael Cassizzi, Robyne Spencer, Paul Deachilla, Jason Kunz, Russ Kemp
  • Timeline: On going and continuous
  • Other offices/departments involved: UR, student groups
  • Estimated Cost: Operating budget
  • Success Measurements:
  1. improved safety on campus
  2. greater cooperation, communication, and response to community, and neighborhood concerns and issues
  3. improve university’s perception as a viable and active member of the greater community
 
 
 
University Goal 4: The University of Baltimore will support its educational mission through efficient structures, best practices in customer service, sound fiscal management and the retention and recruitment of a professional workforce. 
 
Objective 4.2:  Provide a supportive environment for the ongoing professional development and engagement of all staff.
 
STRATEGY – Enhancing staff training, professional advancement and acknowledgment initiatives
 
Identify cost effective or free training opportunities or methods for all Public Safety staff members to enhance their performance. 
  • Deliverables: Increase enrollment in additional training opportunities that ultimately translates into improved quality of service to the university community and enhanced customer service skills.
  • Responsible person (s): Robyne Spencer, Sam Tress
  • Timeline: On going and continuous
  • Other offices/departments involved: HR
  • Estimated Cost: Operating Budget, special requests for year-end funding when available
  • Success Measurements:
  1. improved morale within the department
  2. increased pride for the department and the university
  3. greater sense of “worth” and improved efficiencies for the delivery of services
  

Objective 4.3:  Enhance customer service in all public-facing and internal operations 

STRATEGY – Reinforce a culture of continuous quality improvement in all service areas
 
Work towards developing an access/security keyless plan that encompasses appropriate levels of access for all university members while providing a degree of security for the protection of persons, and the university's assets as well as personal assets.
 
  • Deliverables: Continue to expand and improve the access control system
  • Responsible person (s): Paul Deachilla, Sam Tress, Robyne Spencer
  • Timeline: On going and continuous
  • Other offices/departments involved: Physical Plant, HR, OTS
  • Estimated Cost: As funds become available
  • Success Measurements:
  1. increased control over access to buildings during periods when university is closed.
  2. increased security for persons, university and personal property
  3. improve liability risks that pertain to any unauthorized access issues
  4. constituent satisfaction indices
 
 
STRATEGY – Reinforce a culture of continuous quality improvement in all service areas
 
Examine the functionality of the police communications center and submit staff report that will indicate where improvement, if any, is needed to continue to serve the needs of the campus community now and in the future.
 
  • Deliverables: Review processes and work towards methods to increase and improve the police communications center.
  • Responsible Person (s): Robyne Spencer, Paul Deachilla, Sam Tress
  • Timeline: June 2010
  • Estimated Cost: As provided by the SVP Admin. & Finance
  • Success Measurements:
  1. Progress established reference to staffing levels
  2. Improved response to calls coming into PCC
  3. Specialized staffing on weekends and holidays
  4. Improved monitoring of surveillance cameras
 
 
STRATEGY – Strengthening institutional research to support evidence-based decision-making.
 
Review/redesign current mechanisms of evidenced based data collection and dissemination relating to crime suppression, crime statistics, individual officer daily performance, specific shift/squad performance, quality assurance surveys distributed to campus community, and overall departmental functioning.
 
  • Deliverables: Ensure benchmarking tools utilized and strategic decisions that are made are fact-based and address the goals and objectives of the university.
  • Responsible person (s): Sam Tress, Michael Cassizzi, Robyne Spencer, Jason Kunz, Russell Kemp, Nicole Svehla
  • Timeline: On going and continuous
  • Other offices/departments involved: HR, OTS
  • Estimated Cost: Operating Budget, special requests for year-end funding when available
  • Success Measurements:
  1. uniform, consistent, and meaningful data collection
  2. clearly defined expectation of performance levels
  3. increased accountability for individual officers and their supervisors
  4. satisfaction indices for safety and security initiatives
  

Objective 4.5: Increase financial resources for students to enhance available financial aid, work-study positions, graduate assistantships and stipends.

 
STRATEGY – Enhance initiatives for students to work in non-enforcement areas of Public Safety.
 
  • Deliverables: Review current operating budget to ascertain the feasibility of hiring work-study students to augment the police communications center, and to assist the department in its pursuit of improving the information technology advancements currently enjoyed.
  • Responsible Person (s): Nicole Svehla, Sam Tress, Robyne Spencer
  • Timeline: December 2009
  • Other offices/departments involved: CSI, HR,UR
  • Estimated Cost: Operating budget
  • Success Measurements:
  1. Increase work-study positions in Public Safety
  2. Improvement in responses to campus community
  3. campus security indices
 
 
University Goal 5: The University of Baltimore will create a welcoming, environmentally sustainable 21st century urban campus
 
Objective 5.4:  Enhance campus green space, signage, lighting and other streetscaping elements to create a safe, welcoming and defined urban campus.
 

STRATEGY – Strengthen and develop grant opportunities for campus safety initiatives.

Apply for a grant to obtain a Segway for patrol activity on campus to increase the omnipresence of the police on campus.  Apply for grants that encompass additional cameras for improved surveillance on and near campus; another grant for replacing bullet resistant vests for university police officers will also be submitted.

 
Objective 5.5:  Provide parking facilities and campus residential options that meet the needs of current and future students, faculty and staff. 

STRATEGY – Developing and implementing a Facilities Use Plan with the input of all stakeholders that support the core academic mission.

Expand concurrent jurisdiction area with the Baltimore Police Department to include those areas adjacent to the identified student housing locations.  In so doing, UB police can provide security patrols in the area to maintain a safe and secure campus.

Institute a midnight shift (11pm - 7am) for university police officers to increase safety in the proposed student housing areas.

  • Deliverables: Apply for a grants, expanded MOU boundaries, develop UPO 2300-0700shift
  • Responsible Person (s): Paul Deachilla, Robyne Spencer, Michael Cassizzi, Sam Tress
  • Timeline: January 2010
  • Other offices/departments involved: Provost, HR
  • Estimated Cost: Grant funded, Operational budget
  • Success Measurements:
  1. Grant approval
  2. campus safety indices
  3. campus community security awareness indices
  
 
University Goal 6: The University of Baltimore will foster a diverse, informed and participatory community of students, faculty, staff and alumni as a core institutional strength and value.
 
 
Objective 6.1:  Increase diversity in faculty and professional staff hiring.
 
STRATEGY – Implementing effective strategies for recruiting a diverse faculty and professional staff.
 
Continue to work toward a diverse department in our hiring and retention initiatives reflective of our urban setting and the principles of the university commitment to the Baltimore region.
 
  • Deliverables: Recruit, attract and retain a diverse staff that embraces and values diversity
  • Responsible person (s): Sam Tress, Michael Cassizzi, Robyne Spencer
  • Timeline: On going and continuous
  • Other offices/departments involved: HR
  • Estimated Cost: Operating Budget
  • Success Measurements:
  1. improved campus climate and culture
  2. increased sensitivity and knowledge of how diversity works to improve the campus culture
  3. greater candidate-base that provides for a varied selection of personnel resulting in the best possible work force
 
 
 

"Solving the Problems of Crime in Partnership with the Campus Community"