Spring Break
Chief Barnes Highlights New Initiatives in Safety Awareness Meeting
Changes Include Bike Patrols, Handicap Parking Enforcement, and a Campus-Wide Smoking Ban
Laura Dosanjh
Issue date: 6/15/08 Section: News
At a safety awareness meeting held on May 8, Cleveland Barnes, Chief of University Police, outlined new initiatives being undertaken by University Police to improve safety and address specific changes in the parking and smoking policies on campus.
Due to construction taking place in several areas across campus, University Police has implemented more bike patrols to cover difficult traffic routes and improve response time. Additionally, normal patrol routes are being realigned to coincide with the campus expansion. Patrol cars, along with a certified radar unit, will be patrolling the intersection of Lexington and Arch Streets where the new campus bookstore is slated to open.
Students can also expect the addition of state-of-the-art video surveillance cameras over the summer. The antiquated surveillance system previously utilized by University Police will be replaced with forty-three new day and night cameras that record in real time. Barnes stated that the new surveillance system will cover every area of the University Police jurisdiction and effectively serve as a force multiplier to enhance safety on campus.
He also discussed the imminent enforcement of handicap parking zones located on campus and in local parking garages. Starting near the end of May, cars illegally parked in handicap zones will be ticketed and fined $202.
According to Barnes, a new smoking ban will soon be implemented to bring the university into compliance with local anti-smoking ordinances, though a specific date has not yet been set. Smoking will be banned within the entire campus, including areas within 30 feet of buidling entrances and those spaces currently designated as smoking areas. However, University Police will be unable to enforce the smoking ban on sidewalks within the campus as they are considered public property. The penalty for violating the smoking ban has yet to be determined.