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 Preventing crime 101 By Gene Friedman To reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime, the Savannah College of Art and Design college security department offers a continuous series of personal safety resources throughout the year to everyone at SCAD. Among the many safety tips are recommendations to walk in groups, walk on well-lighted streets and walk in heavily traveled areas. While there are no guarantees that these steps will eliminate the threat of crime, they do increase the odds in each person’s favor. Of course, the time of day is also a critical factor in personal safety. During daylight hours, risks are greatly diminished. When darkness falls, safety measures are less effective as nighttime provides protective cover for criminals. That is why more crimes are committed during those times. Being out and about on the streets of Savannah in the early morning hours significantly increases the risk of being victimized. Remember also that criminals are like vultures: They are, metaphorically, constantly circling overhead, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. As most street crimes are crimes of opportunity, it is imperative that everything possible be done to deny criminals the opportunity to strike. Thus, it is strongly urged that the many safety measures that the college security department promotes be employed to reduce the opportunities for criminals to act. Unfortunately, during this past quarter a few SCAD students were victims of crime as they walked through Savannah. To address the concerns raised by these incidents, the CSD continued its emphasis on prevention while at the same time initiating a number of specific actions. In conjunction with the Savannah Police Department, the CSD worked to solve these crimes and prevent further ones from occurring. Patrols were increased and other proactive steps were undertaken to identify and apprehend the criminals. CSD representatives held meetings with senior SPD command staff to coordinate our response and ensure that this issue remained a priority. The CSD maintained contact with SPD detectives to share information. Detectives created photo lineups of suspected robbers for victims to view in order to identify their assailants. The CSD coordinated this process by notifying students when to go to police headquarters and arranging for transportation. As a result of all these efforts, five suspects were arrested within a short period of time. Detectives are continuing their investigations to determine if these criminals committed any other offenses in the city. In addition to cooperating with police and CSD when a crime does occur, students also can prevent crimes from taking place. One such instance occurred recently at the new Gulfstream Center for Furniture and Industrial Design. A student left the building and observed someone lurking in the parking lot, looking inside parked cars. The student immediately went back into the building and reported the incident to the security officer stationed there. The student provided details of the incident including an excellent description of the person she observed in the parking lot. The officer then called in the situation to the CSD dispatch desk. The dispatcher put this information out over the radio to alert both CSD and SPD officers. Officers responded to the area and observed a suspect fitting the description running from the area. After a brief foot pursuit suspect was caught and arrested. The situation ended quickly and without further incident thanks primarily to an alert student doing all the right things including providing a detailed suspect description. The student’s actions and coordinated efforts of responding officers worked as planned. Overall the good news is that although a few students had an unfortunate experience this quarter, the CSD and SPD worked rapidly and successfully to solve previously reported crimes and prevent others from occurring in the future. This should not lead to complacency. Everyone should still practice good personal safety measures and remember to call the CSD at 525-4500 if there are any questions or concerns. Friedman is the SCAD director of college security. |
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