UMass Dartmouth Sets Example for Campus Safety
The UMass Dartmouth Public Safety Department held its first community-wide critical incident resource and awareness event in 2002. The event, called "Ready for U," was a Public Safety initiative to increase the level of awareness as it relates to the importance of reporting crimes on campus. The event also aimed to expose the campus community to the various local law enforcement partnerships and valuable resources available to respond to a critical incident on campus.
Guest speakers Connie Clery and her son, Howard Clery III, of Security on Campus, Inc., relayed the significance of reporting crime on campus and stressed the importance of students taking responsibility for their own safety.
Mrs. Connie Clery, center, addresses a group at UMass Dartmouth, including Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, left foreground.A Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) demonstration was put on by Public Safety officers. Also participating were the the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing and Bomb Squad, the Bristol County Sheriff's Office (mobile command center) and K-9 Unit, Dartmouth Police and Dartmouth Fire. The daylong event included the Masonic Child Identification Program (CHIP), which offers a comprehensive identification kit, including fingerprints, a "toothprint" dental impression and a short video of the individual speaking. According to the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, UMass Dartmouth was the first college in the nation to comprehensively I.D. college students.
