The spike in vehicle break-ins on South Campus last semester and other safety issues were the main concerns of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) during a meeting on Wednesday.
UB is safer as a result of the many new initiatives the University Police Department (UPD) has taken on over the years, according to Chief of Police Gerald Schoenle.
There has been a significant drop in criminal activity on both North and South Campuses since 1997, according to UPD statistics. Car break-ins on campus have, however, increased since last year, primarily on South Campus.
One item in particular has been more popular among campus robbers.
"What they're stealing like hotcakes now are those GPS systems," Schoenle said.
According to Schoenle, 10 GPS systems were stolen during the last semester alone. Schoenle advises students to avoid leaving even the most insignificant things such as suction cups on the windows in cars. These items may be enough to entice a break-in.
The police department has taken several steps to educate students, faculty and staff about auto-burglary prevention. The UPD distributed signs to all buildings on South Campus, warning people of the dangers of leaving valuables in cars.
UPD has created a guide to help individuals determine whether their cars are reasonably safe against theft. There is a burglary prevention checklist inside the guide - if the vehicle fails the inspection, UPD will contact the owners of the vehicles through license plate numbers. Many vehicles had valuables in plain view.
"The first day that we did it we found half a dozen people that were leaving purses or laptops or such things," Schoenle said. "Through these educational efforts that we did so far this year, we have not had one break in on either campus."
The police are working to prevent theft in the university libraries. Personal items are often stolen when students leave belongings unattended or fall asleep. UPD's prevention methods include waking sleeping students and telling them about the increased chance of crime in the libraries.
These preventative measures fall under problem-oriented policing, according to Schoenle.
"It's a real great technique - it really works. It's not just making an arrest and going on and making another arrest, and the problem repeats itself. It's really educating our community," Schoenle said.
Further security enhancements will be part of the UB 2020 expansion program. All existing lighting and blue light phones on South Campus will be replaced. There will also be 69 security cameras added on the campus in parking lots and residence halls.
"The [new] blue light phones, when somebody activates one, the security cam will actually zoom in on them, so we'll have the availability to actually watch once that phone is activated," Schoenle said. "If a person is in distress we will actually be able to see it in real time."
A visible police facility with a new communication center will be added to South Campus.
During the meeting, committee members acknowledged Schoenle's leadership, who has achieved state accreditation. Only a very small percentage of law enforcement units in the state can claim this distinction - UB is the first unit in the state to earn it.
