Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503

January 18, 2001

Maricopa County Community College District Purchase Police Vehicles

New vehicles provide hands-on-learning for police academy students and will also be used by the safety officers on the college campuses.

Greater Phoenix - A major milestone in college public safety was reached when the Maricopa County Community College District purchased two fully equipped police vehicles. While the new college police cars will provide a real hands-on-learning experience for students enrolled in the district's police academy programs, the vehicles will also be rotated for use by the district's certified college safety officers at each of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

William Crawford, Associate Dean of Instruction for Business and Technology at Mesa Community College and member of the college district's safety committee, said The district safety committee initiated the acquisition of the vehicles as a result of requests from the Glendale Community College and Mesa Community College police academy programs. The use of fully equipped police vehicles in the police academies is a vital component of the district's police academy programs. The committee also saw cost-effective advantages if the vehicles could be used by the colleges' safety officers when the cars were not in use for instructional purposes."

According to Crawford, the academies will be the primary users of the vehicles. However when not in use by the academy programs, the cars will be available for by the college safety departments on a rotation schedule. "Many college campuses across the nation have access to college police vehicles. The vehicles provide college safety departments with increased mobility and may serve as a deterrent to criminal activity. A strong police presence has always been the best deterrent to crime," Crawford said.

Robert Everett, a certified safety officer at GateWay Community College, agreed. "The vehicles will project an increased police presence on campus and legitimize the officers as 'real' police officers as well as help the officers do their jobs more effectively. I think we will see an increase in respect and cooperation from campus members. Our students and visitors will feel safer and potential criminals will think twice before acting."

Increased police or patrol presence has proven to deter criminal activity. Jeremy James, a retired captain of the City of Scottsdale Police who now directs the safety division at Scottsdale Community College, explained that when TV surveillance cameras were installed at GateWay Community College, South Mountain Community College and Scottsdale Community College, criminal activity decreased substantially. "The campus patrol cars," said James, "will have a similar effect."

The college district employs twenty-two full time certified college safety officers who must complete the same requirements as any other police/peace officer within the state. They must possess an Arizona POST (Peace Officer Standard Training) peace officer certificate. Because of their training and POST certification, certified officers have the same power and authority as any city peace officers have. Certified officers are responsible for maintaining order and security at a college site, enforcing state and federal laws and providing assistance to persons on the college campus.

Marie Sutton, a certified safety officer at Paradise Valley Community College, said students often perceive college safety officers as just security guards with little authority. She believes the vehicles will help in the recognition that certified college safety officers are police officers.

The equipment the college officers use is not any different from what a city peace officer carries, except for a gun. "Our certified safety officers," said Dennis Coking, captain of college safety at Mesa Community College, "carry an expandable police baton, OC (Mace) spray canister, handcuffs, two-way radios, a phone and a beeper, but not a gun. Officers either walk the 'beat,' ride a bicycle or a motorized/electric cart."

Sutton commented that "One of the questions most often asked by a problem student has been 'How would you go after me in your golf cart?' The vehicles give a greater sense of knowing that the ability to respond is there. The patrol cars are positive tools that will help us perform our jobs in a better and more efficient manner. All certified college safety officers have had extensive training in the proper use of such a high profile vehicle, and the responsibility of driving these vehicles is not taken lightly by any one of us."

The Maricopa County Community College District is composed of 10 community colleges, several satellite campuses, skill centers and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu.

--MCCCD--

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March 13, 2002