A letter to new Zags
Greetings from Gonzaga Campus Public Safety & Security!
As a way of introduction, we’d like to share with you a little about our Department, the challenges we face, where to find some good resources for information about security and safety on and around campus, and a personal invitation to stop by and visit us or call us to discuss any concerns you may have.
In a nutshell…
Our department consists of 19 full-time staff members committed to making the educational experience at Gonzaga a positive one. Our leadership team has a combined 135 years of security, law enforcement and emergency management experience. We employ several students on our team to assist us in the business office, parking enforcement, crime prevention projects, and in our communications center. For special events such as dances, we contract for additional security. And, during high traffic periods in the surrounding neighborhood, we contract Spokane Police for neighborhood patrols.
We provide a variety of services, including security escorts, 24/7/365.
It’s not the neighborhood….
The vast majority of the crime we see on and around the Gonzaga campus is what is commonly termed “property crime”. This includes theft, burglary, and vehicle prowling. The Logan Neighborhood sometimes gets a bad rap from students as an inherently bad neighborhood (for property crime). I often tell the students “sorry, it’s not the neighborhood, it’s you”. Criminals are opportunistic. They know that Gonzaga students (and college students in general) often have easy to steal (and sell) valuables like laptops and Ipods – and they know that students who live in the neighborhood are notoriously bad about locking their doors. In fact, most of the criminals who are caught on and around campus are not from the neighborhood – they just come here because of the opportunities. They know that many of us leave valuables unattended or in plain view in our vehicles. They’ll walk though the library and office areas looking for unattended laptops, backpacks, and purses. Or cruise parked cars looking for tempting items. Again, it’s all about opportunity – and reducing opportunity.
A particular challenge on college campuses is bike theft. Many students, staff, and faculty like to commute on and around campus by bike. Cable locks are almost useless in deterring the theft of an expensive bike. Thieves come armed with pocket-sized cable and bolt cutters. Even U-Locks can be compromised with a little effort by bolt cutters, pneumatic jacks, and cordless metal saws. Our best advice to those who want to ride:
- Consider buying a lower-end bike (there are some great used bikes out there for $100-200) to get you around, and make sure you lock it with a U-Lock (NOT a cable lock). We sell U-Locks at the security office if you don’t have one.
- If you want to bring an expensive bike to campus, make sure you have a place to store it inside. Thieves often target newer Specialized, Trek, and Gary Fisher bikes or bike parts, and are difficult to catch because of the relative speed with which they can cut a lock.
- Register your bike with campus security and take a picture of it.
- Bring a helmet. It’s the law in Spokane.
It can happen anywhere….
We see very little in the way of violent crime on campus, but it can happen. Two years ago a non-student shot and killed his girlfriend (also not a student) at a house north of campus and then ran through our campus at 2 AM carrying a handgun. Police later apprehended him in the McCarthey Arena parking lot. While the individual did not harm and was not targeting anyone in the Gonzaga community, it illustrates how a dangerous situation can spill over onto an “open” campus. To help prepare all of our Gonzaga community members for these types of situations – which can happen anywhere – we offer both individualized and on-line training. Gonzaga staff, faculty, and students can visit our “Active Shooter” webpage and view a short video to prepare themselves for these rare, but dangerous, situations. We also ask all students to sign up for “ZagAlert” to receive emergency notices during significant events where an on-going threat is identified.
Less than 21…..
Before you get here, it’s a good idea to review the University Alcohol & Drug Policies and Washington State Open container, Minor in Possession , and Fake ID laws. Campus Security works closely with Spokane Police and the Washington Liquor Control Board. Expect stringent enforcement on campus and in the Logan Neighborhood.
Decision points…
We talk to students a great deal about making good decisions about their security and safety. Whether to lock your door or not, whether to travel across the neighborhood at 2 AM, whether to ask for a security escort, whether to wear a bike helmet, whether to pay attention crossing the street, whether to drink those alcohol shots, whether to leave their laptop unattended at the library “just for a few minutes”….. Etc. Your decisions ultimately will have the greatest impact on your security and safety.
Good information
To try to help our Gonzaga community members form good decisions, we supply them with good information about crime, crime prevention, our services, and their safety. This information is updated frequently on our blog “Campo”, on our Facebook page, and on Twitter. The blog is a good place to go for what’s happening crime-wise on or near campus and “breaking news” about significant events affecting campus – we always try to update the blog as soon as we have accurate information to pass on.
Give us a call or stop by
During “opening weekend” you’ll see members of our staff around campus. Don’t hesitate to stop and chat – we take great pride in what we do, and are happy to answer any questions. And, please don’t ever hesitate to call Associate Director John VanSant at 313-3996 or Associate Director Brian Kenny at 313-3998 if you have any questions about your security or safety. We can also be reached 24/7 through the Security Communications Center at 509-313-2222.