WE HAVE MOVED TO: http://www.qcc.edu/campus-police

October 1, 2011 Annual Campus Safety Report

From The Chief of Police

Safety and security at Quinsigamond requires a strong Community effort. The Department of Public Safety at Quinsigamond works hard to develop a trust and professionalism to serve the College community. Quinsigamond students, faculty, and staff have a strong tradition of working closely with the Department of Public Safety. This tradition fosters open communication between campus police officers and the College community. I ask you to get involved with the College community and promptly report any suspicious activity to the Public Safety Department. I also encourage you to meet the campus police officers that serve you on a daily 24/7 basis. The officers patrol the campus by cruiser, on foot, and bike patrols to hinder the dangers of crime that can occur on any college campus.

The Department of Public Safety offers many programs throughout the year that assist the College community, with the ultimate goal of a safe and secure environment. I encourage you to seek out the programs we offer. I welcome any suggestions you may have, so that we may better serve the College community.

Sincerely,

Kevin Ritacco

Chief of Police

Quinsigamond Community College

THE COLLEGE

Quinsigamond Community College is one of twenty-seven colleges and universities in the public higher education system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was established on February 1, 1963 to provide quality education to meet the diverse needs of the citizens of Central Massachusetts. The College is situated in Worcester, the second largest city in New England, which is also the home of many nationally noted private liberal arts and technical institutions. The city, and region, are major industrial and commercial centers, especially in banking, convention/tourism, health-care, high technology, insurance, and manufacturing.

ACCESS TO ACADEMIC FACILITIES

During the academic year when the College is open, academic buildings and other facilities are accessible to members of the Quinsigamond community and visitors during the day and evening hours. Access to buildings and facilities after hours and when school is not in session is in accordance with procedures established by designated administrative staff and faculty responsible for their areas in conjunction with the Public Safety Department. Access is on an as needed basis only

MONITORING AND RECORDING

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AT QUINSIGAMOND

Quinsigamond maintains communication with local law enforcement authorities, in addition to retaining statistical data through a computerized incident reporting system. This system assists Campus Police Officers in their documentation efforts relating to reports of crimes, injuries, emergencies, unusual events and/or suspicious activity. In addition to the internal computerized report system the Quinsigamond Public Safety Department is linked nationwide through the LEAPS/NCIC/CORI Law Enforcement Network. This system allows the department access to criminal activity, motor vehicle history/information and priority communication from one law enforcement agency to another. The Public Log is available at the Campus Police Office during business hours Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm by request.

Campus Police Department

Authority, Reporting and Responsibilities 

Quinsigamond Campus Police Department is located on the first floor of the Athletic Center room 136 AC. The department is a full service Police Department providing safety, security, parking and traffic services to the entire campus community throughout the year. Quinsigamond Police Department is currently staffed by a chief of police, assistant chief, three sergeants, and eight fulltime campus police officers. The primary mission of the department is to provide a safe and secure environment for the College community. The department embraces a professional approach to law enforcement, emphasizing customer service, community policing, and impartial enforcement of all laws, policies and regulations.

Quinsigamond Campus Police Officers receive their authority from Chapter 22C of Massachusetts General Laws, Section 63. Officers have full arrest powers on land and buildings owned, or used by the institution. Campus police officers are charged with the enforcement of all state and local laws as well as any College regulations and policies on Quinsigamond property. 

Quinsigamond Campus Police Officers receive basic and in-service training at the Massachusetts State Police Academy and or the Municipal Police Training Committee. They also receive specialize training from various police agencies throughout the state and country. The department works closely with state, city and federal police and fire agencies to assist with the safety of the college community. 

There is no written MOU between Quinsigamond Police and Worcester Police however; jurisdiction is shared with local law enforcement. Worcester Police and the Massachusetts State police have concurrent jurisdiction on all campuses and upon all properties owned or controlled by the College. Part I Crimes, such as rape, murder, aggravated assault, robbery and arson are reported to the jurisdictional law enforcement authority for that area, and a joint investigative effort between Quinsigamond College Police Department and the Jurisdictional Department and or Massachusetts State Police is conducted to solve these serious felony crimes. The prosecution of all criminal offenses, both felony and misdemeanor, are conducted through the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.

All felonies occurring on campus and any Search Warrants issued or requested are reported to the Massachusetts State Police on a monthly basis.  

Timely Notification of Criminal Activity

The QCC Alert (“Alert”) is provided to give students, faculty and staff timely notification of crimes that may represent a serious or on-going threat to the campus community and to heighten safety awareness. The Alert also seeks information that may lead to arrest and conviction of the offender when violent crimes against persons or substantial crimes against property have been reported.

Campus Police are responsible for issuing a Campus Crime Alert when a crime is reported to or brought to the attention of the Police or other campus security authorities and that crime represents a serious or on-going threat to the safety of members of the campus community. Information for Alerts also comes from other law enforcement agencies. Every attempt will be made to distribute the Alert within reasonable amount of the time the incident is reported to Campus Police; however, the release is subject to the availability of accurate facts concerning the incident, and investigation restraints. Alerts are created by the Chief of Police and distributed the following ways.

·          Instant Text Messaging

·          Bulletin Board Postings

·          Student Newspaper

·          QCC Family E-mail

·          QCC Student Portal

·          QCC Intranet

·          Roof Top Siren

https://confucius.qcc.mass.edu/ics

REPORTING INCIDENTS AND CRIMES

Quinsigamond’s education and awareness efforts encourage the reporting of ALL incidents and any suspicious activity to the proper authority. These authorities could include the College’s Department of Public Safety, the Massachusetts State Police, the Worcester Police, the Dean of Students Services, the Vice President of Administrative Services and the Human Resources Office. The Department of Public Safety provides the following options for community members to report incidents.

Emergency Number: 854–4444

On-Campus: dial 4444 (campus phone)

Main Number: 854–4221

On-Campus: 4221 (campus phone)

Emergency Phones

As part of the college’s on-going effort to enhance safety and security programs, sixteen emergency phones have been installed throughout the campus. These phones offer an additional way for community members to report incidents. The phones are programmed to dial the Campus Emergency number when the button is pushed. They have a two-way speaker capacity. From 7 am to 11 pm, these calls will go directly to the Campus Police Dispatch Center and will indicate the exact location from where a call is being made. The dispatcher will dispatch a Quinsigamond Police Officer to the scene and appropriate action will be taken. After hours, weekends and holidays the emergency phone will ring directly through to the campus police officers hand-held radio phone and officers will respond accordingly.

Locations of Emergency Phones:

Administration Building

Basement Level Entrance

1st floor – by both elevators

2nd floor - by both elevators

3rd floor - by both elevators

4th floor - by 416A, elevator

Surprenant Building

Basement - by elevator

1st floor - by elevator

2nd floor - by elevator

3rd floor - by elevator

4th floor - by elevator

Ahlfors Building

Hallway - main entrance

Athletic Center

Basement level - by Campus Police

Basement level - women’s locker room

Basement level - men’s locker room

Basement level - room 135G

Lower level - north wall

Hallway - east entrance

Child Study Center

First floor - main entrance

Second Floor – outside Classroom

Alcohol/Drug Education Programs

Quinsigamond provides alcohol/drug education programs to educate and inform the entire Quinsigamond Community (students, faculty, and staff) of the legal, social and personal consequences related to the misuse of alcohol and other drugs. This education is designed to enhance one’s decision-making skills and to help the individual generate alternative healthier choices. The various means of educating the Quinsigamond community may include: seminars, written material, video resources, peer educators, individual and group counseling and professional speakers. Programs are developed and presented to the Quinsigamond community in classrooms and common areas throughout the College. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to refer persons troubled by alcohol and/or drug use to the Quinsigamond Counseling Center or to one of the various community support services available in and around Worcester. A list of these services is available through the Student Enrollment Services, Public Safety Department, or the Counseling Center.

 CAMPUS SECURITY ACT

Quinsigamond Community College faithfully adheres to the Student-Right-to Know and Campus Security Act which was passed by Congress in 1990. This law requires all Post-Secondary Colleges to report specific incidents of campus crime which occurred during the prior school year.

Title II of this act was known as the Crime Awareness and Security Act. It requires institutions participating in the student financial aid program under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to disclose information about campus safety policies and procedures and to provide statistics concerning certain crimes that occur on campus. It was amended and renamed the Jeanne Clery Act in October 1998. In compliance with the act, the Department of Public Safety publishes and distributes this information by October 1 of each year. The Higher Education Act as amended by the Higher Educational Opportunity Act specifies new campus safety requirements in regards to hate crime, emergency response and evacuation procedures effective October 1, 2010 and is included in this report.

Quinsigamond Community College’s annual security report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes and violations of College policy that occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings owned or controlled by Quinsigamond Community College, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

All College departments that are identified as mandated reporters, together with local municipal police departments, are surveyed annually by the Chief of Police for reportable crimes. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters.

You can obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Campus Police Office or by accessing the following Web site: www.qcc.mass.edu/safety/campus_safety_report.htm.

This document should be read in conjunction with the Student Handbook.

* Non-Campus Buildings - In addition to the main campus of Quinsigamond Community College at 670 West Boylston Street and the Satellite Campus at City Square 100 Front Street in Worcester, the college offers classes at other locations.

 The following locations are considered Non-Campus Buildings for the purposes of the Clery Act and crime statistics for these locations are included in the Non-Campus Buildings column in the Main Campus Stats. The Crime Stats for the below locations were attained from Worcester Police Crime Analysis Unit and the Southbridge Police Department.

QCC at Southbridge 5 optical Drive Southbridge MA

QCC at the Senior Center, 128 Providence Street, Worcester, MA 

QCC at Notre Dame Long Term Care Center, 555 Plantation Street Worcester, MA

QCC at Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Drive, Worcester, MA

QCC at Seven Hills Foundation, 81 Hope Avenue, Worcester, MA

QCC at the Worcester Fire Department Training Facility, 141 Grove Street, Worcester, MA

No Crimes reported during the year 2010 are classified as “Hate Crimes”

Crime Stats…………..

MAINTAINING SAFE AND SECURE CAMPUS FACILITIES

The Public Safety Department reports to the Vice President of Administrative Services, as does the Facilities Department. Both Departments work closely with one another to ensure that our campus buildings and grounds are safe places to study and work. The Facilities Department inspects campus facilities regularly, keeping in mind the concern for safety and security. If Campus Police Officers discover a broken window, nonfunctional light, etc., they file a electronic work order and that is submitted to the Facilities Department. Students as well as faculty and staff may also call Facilities at ext. 7400 to report any safety or security hazards. For those security concerns that require prompt attention, Facilities is contacted via hand held radios immediately and the situation is handled as expeditiously as possible

Prevention Initiatives Conducted by Facilities and Public Safety include:

•          Locking and alarm systems

·          CCTV Cameras

•          Fire equipment

•          Exterior doors and windows

•          Emergency / interior /exterior lighting

•          Educational programs

•          Monthly Newsletters

•          Bulletin Board Displays

SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY BOARD REQUIREMENT

Community Notification Regarding Access to Sex Offender Information In accordance with federal law, the College is required to advise the campus community where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained. Accordingly, in order to access public information pertaining to registered sex offenders enrolled or employed at the College, please contact the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Sex Offender Registry Board, located at P.O. Box 4547, Salem, MA 01970-4547, (978) 740-6400, or the Worcester Police Department, located at 9-11 Lincoln Square.

If you have any questions regarding access to this type of information, please feel free to contact the College’s Chief of Police located in the Campus Police Office room 136AC Athletic Center.

NOTE: Two informational boards have been established on campus. These boards will list those individuals known to the college as being Level III Sex Offenders. They are located in the Administration Building by the Student Cafeteria and the 1^st floor of the Surprenant Building.

POLICY STATEMENT ON SEX OFFENSES

Quinsigamond values the health and safety of every individual on campus and expects its community members to treat other persons with respect and dignity. Quinsigamond recognizes the critical need to develop policies and programs that support victims/survivors and encourages them to report sexual assaults and rape (forcible and non-forcible) to the College staff. The College is committed to providing a working and learning environment that is free from all forms of abuse, harassment or coercive conduct and to offering the educational programs designed to meet these goals.

NOTE: Refer to the Quinsigamond College Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures brochure which encompasses the following information on Sex Offenses:

•       Educational Programs promoting awareness

•       Procedures Community members should follow if a sex offense occurs

•       Procedures on who should be contacted

•       Evidence preservation

•       Options regarding notification of campus and local law enforcement authorities

•       Notification to students of existing on and off campus counseling, and other services for victims of sex offenses.

•       Academic options/changes

•       Procedures for campus disciplinary action

•       Disciplinary Sanctions

Campus Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures

The College has an active Emergency Management Team chaired by the Chief of Police. The EMT is responsible for coordinating all aspects of Emergency Management. The complete Emergency Management Community Guide can be found online at:

www.qcc.mass.edu/safety/emergencyguide.htm

EMT members by Title:

•          President

        VP of Administrative Services

•          Vice President Academic Affairs

•          Vice President Student Enrollment and Student Services

•          Vice President for Community Engagement

•          Associate Vice President for Human Resources

•          Assistant Vice President for President and Trustee Relations

•          Chief of Police 

•          Director of Facilities

•          Chief Technology Officer

•          Marketing Manager

•          Director of Budgeting

•          Dean of Instruction Care and Life Sciences

•          Registered Nurse (Nursing Department)

•          Coordinator of Counseling

•          Director of Children’s School

•          Asst. Dean Auxiliary Services

•          Director of Disabilities Services

•          Southbridge Campus Coordinator

•          City Square Director

The campus community is to be immediately notified upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students, employees, and visitors on or off campus, unless issuing a notification will compromise efforts to contain the emergency.

Campus communication systems consist of broadcast voicemail and email, text messaging and a roof top siren warning system. The Marketing Manager will assist the Incident Commander in producing a campus wide message as per the President’s instruction. The Chief Technology Officer or designee will broadcast the message through broadcast voice-mail text messaging and e-mail to the campus community. The Chief technology Officer or designee will post regularly updated messages on the emergency web page as directed from the incident commander or designee. Depending on the level of the emergency, Campus Police will utilize the roof top loudspeaker siren system to broadcast a message. The broadcast messages will contain information directing the campus community to follow specific instructions and take particular action as necessary. Fire alarms may be used in an immediate emergency to evacuate the building only at the direction of Campus Police. In the event that all communications are inactive, Campus Police will activate all cruiser sirens throughout the campus to warn the college community.

All classrooms and offices have evacuation maps located in a red frame posted on the wall. Please become familiar with the evacuation routes and move at least 200 feet from the building when the need to evacuate is necessary.

Emergency Procedures will be tested yearly.

Missing Students