With the publication of the 2016 California Baptist University Annual Security Report sent out Oct. 1, CBU’s Department of Public Safety is reassuring students of their security and the preventative measures being taken to protect campus.
Leon Phillips, director of Public Safety, detailed the procedures for crisis situations and expectations of officers.
“We do expect them (the officers) to insert themselves into circumstances and take appropriate action,” Phillips said.
This action, as outlined by Phillips, could be locking down an area, directing police or calling other resources. The ability to think critically in crisis situations is vital for the officers.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve been trying to bring in a pretty mature group of people,” Phillips said. “We have some retired police officers (on staff).”
Phillips also said the training for officers is detailed, including multiple certifications and continued training throughout the year.
As CBU campus grows Public Safety is taking appropriate action to ensure that officers are placed in all areas of campus from the Riverside Municipal Airport to the engineering parking lot across from the nursing annex.
Public Safety has also been working on an agreement with the Riverside police department since May to listen to their radio traffic to be aware of possible threats to the university.
Two main forms of communicating information to students are used by Public Safety: timely warnings and emergency notifications.
According to Phillips, the emergency notifications give information that is pressing at the current time. Timely warnings are used for issues that have passed, giving information that helps the CBU community ensure their own safety.
Emergency notifications go out to students primarily by text message. Students can sign up for the notifications yearly on InsideCBU under the Public Safety tab.
Students are advised to be aware of their circumstances to contribute to their own safety. The app “LiveSafe” is a convenient way to stay up to date with the available safety options and can be downloaded for free.
