Due to campus crimes like theft and drug use, Dixie State University and campus police are seeking to create a safer environment for students.
Crime is apart of every school campus, including DSU. Recent events like the Virginia Tech University and Sandy Hook Elementary shootings have led to a greater push to keep students safe as they attend their various institutions. Here at DSU, campus security and administration leaders are doing all they can to keep students safe.
Campus police
Campus police should be a resource for students when it comes to physical distress and danger, said Don Reid, chief of campus security and police. Reid said he leads six police officers who work day in and day out to protect students and faculty from potential threats.
Reid said his officers follow a specific protocol when it comes to doing their job. The system is designed to always have three officers on duty: one that patrols the perimeter in a police vehicle, another that walks through campus and a third in the office that views footage from the 500 security cameras on campus.
Staying safe
While police officers can be counted on to do their jobs each day, students still have the responsibility to be safe and keep those around them safe too, Reid said.
Devin Lehning, a freshman radiology major from Pleasant Grove, said, “Honestly, I just stay really observant and am just aware of my surroundings [and what is going on].”
To help students stay safe, Reid gave a list of his top five safety measures for students to follow.
- Students need to be vigilant. Don’t make yourself an easy target by avoiding situations like leaving a laptop in the front seat of a car or leaving a backpack unattended while attending the restroom.
- Students need to know where they are parking. Don’t park far away from campus if you can help it.
- Students should always lock their cars. When you approach your car, have your keys in hand ready to go.
- Students should always lock dorm or apartment doors.
- Remember there is always safety in numbers.
Along with these basic tips, Reid said he is trying to address the need for more lighting around campus to help prevent crimes from happening. This is an ongoing issue with the school, Reid said. He has been working with past and present school presidents to put lighting fixtures around the campus.
As a last resort, Reid said students should use their cellphones when they are alone outside. By adding the campus police as a contact, they can call the police at the push of a button. A cellphone can also be used to record videos and take pictures of perpetrators, Reid said.
Campus police can be reached at 435-652-7515.
Theft and other crimes
The No. 1 committed crime on campus is theft, followed by underage alcohol consumption and drug problems, Reid said.
Brock Morley, a junior biology major from Price, said he remembers a theft happening on campus when a DSU student was expelled for breaking into a professor’s office. The student took answer keys to tests from previous semesters.
Reid said campus police were called by students August 19 about a man roaming around campus looking for unlocked car and dorm doors while wearing nothing but a black garbage bag.
Reid said as students look to utilize the campus police and each other, there will be less crime here at DSU.
“What we know for a fact is the safest society is the society where everybody watches out for everybody,” Reid said. “So if you see something, say something.”
