WMU police a close option for emergencies

By Josh Holderbaum
Western Herald

For anyone with an emergency on campus, help is literally right around the corner.
The Western Michigan University Department of Public Safety precinct is located at 511 Monroe St., directly behind the Roadhouse Bar & Grill, and stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

WMU DPS currently consists of 13 officers total who are deputized through the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department, giving them the power of arrest all over the county.

The officers normally patrol on and around West Campus, also making stops at the Stadium Drive Apartments, Asylum Lake and other WMU-owned property downtown as needed. Their expansive jurisdiction allows them to also make stops on Stadium Drive and Michigan Avenue.

Three new officers will join the force in mid-September, each of whom will be on the road by January, Deputy Chief Blaine Kalafut said.

Those three troopers will replace two officers who left the force, bringing the total number up to 16.

WMU DPS can be contacted in three ways, first by calling 911 in case of emergencies. Emergencies on or near campus will be handled by WMU DPS because it is their jurisdiction.

Another way is to call the precinct office at 387-5555 for non-emergencies. While emergencies can’t be handled through that number, it can be used to arrange for escort services late at night, another function of DPS.

The precinct can also be contacted by using one of the 101 yellow call boxes located around campus. The call boxes can be used for non-emergencies just like the 387-5555 phone number, such as escort services or other troubles, or for actual emergencies if a student or faculty member doesn’t have access to another phone to call 911.

Call boxes also send a signal the instant they are opened to the precinct, so even someone unable to talk, from an attack or otherwise, can still receive help, Kalafut said.

New students on campus don’t need to worry about too many crimes, but should be familiar with how to avoid the few common ones on campus.

“Theft is number one,” Kalafut said. “Number two is probably malicious destruction of property.”

All valuables, whether in cars or visible from apartment windows, should be concealed from sight and cars and apartments should be locked whenever the occupants aren’t there, Kalafut said.

A new threat students are fcing is increasing numbers of phone scams, especially ones telling students about supposed “problems” with their checking accounts. The caller asks for the student’s account number to fix the problem, which is where the scam begins.

“If it sounds too good to be true, don’t give out personal info,” Kalafut said. “If you do, you’re setting yourself up to be a victim. A lot of older kids are knowledgeable about these kind of things so they won’t fall for it, but some new students who are 18 or 19 might not be as experienced with how checking accounts work.”

“Don’t set yourself up to be a victim,” Kalafut said.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=7269

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Aug 30 2009. Filed under Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com