Presidential Task Force on
Campus Safety
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Jacqueline Balzer (chair)
Kris Henning
Valerie Holdahl
Debbie Kirkland
Chas Lopez
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Mary Moller
Nicole Morris
Heather Randol
P.K. Runkles-Pearson
Domanic Thomas
Ad Hoc Members
 Phil Zerzan
 Bryant Haley
Charge from President Wiewel
 Ongoing conversation about campus safety &
CPSO becoming a police department
 Inform discussion by collecting necessary facts
• Public opinion – interviews, forums & focus groups
• CPSO staffing, calls for service, arrests, etc.
• Comparison to other academic institutions
• Misc. data (e.g., ASPSU, Portland Auditor’s Office)
 Offer recommendations for improving safety
Progress Made Since Last Campus Safety Review (2008)
 Improved access control in buildings
 Better lighting in parking garages
 CARE team
 Women’s Resource Center
 Emergency preparedness training & communications
 Improved CAD system at CPSO
 Recommendation to create fully-sworn police
department not implemented
Most Faculty, Staff & Students Feel Safe…..But Not Everyone
 Perceptions of campus safety vary by:
• Gender (women < men)
• Time of day (nighttime < daytime)
• Location on campus (e.g., parking structures)
 Parents of students/prospective students often
express concerns about campus safety
 Many adults in Portland do not feel safe downtown*
• 27 - 33% feel unsafe walking alone in daytime
• 70 - 73% feel unsafe at night
*City Auditor’s Survey (2009 – 2012)
Perceptions About Campus Safety Are Important
Campus safety, both real and perceived is
critical to well-being of our institution
 Ability to recruit & retain students
 Engagement of faculty, staff, & students in
campus activities
 Liability (e.g., Title IX compliance, high profile
incidents)
 Unnecessary victimizations when people fail to
take necessary precautions because they feel
safe
“High campus crime
rates may discourage
prospective students
from attending certain
universities, and may
similarly dissuade
parents from paying
tuition to send their
children to institutions
that could be regarded
as unsafe.”
- Fisher & Nasar (1992)
Major Crime Stable – Policing Efforts Increasing
Campus Remains Attractive Location for Potential Offenders
 Access – easy to get here, get into
our buildings
 Anonymity – blend in with students,
faculty, staff; hang out in buildings
 Availability – plenty of easy targets,
things to steal, places to use drugs
 Limited Guardianship – 12 CPSO
officers to cover campus 24/ 7 /365
Most Offenders Are Not from PSU
 87% have prior arrest(s)
in Portland metro area*
 56% arrest(s) for
property crimes
(e.g., burglary, auto theft, larceny)
 41% arrest(s) for violence
(e.g., assault, robbery, rape)
* Henning, K., Peterson, C., Stewart, G., (2012). Criminal History of Suspects Arrested at Portland State University
CPSO Officers Deal with Some Very Serious Offenders
 41 y/o non-student
 Found sleeping outside Honors
Building on PSU grounds (2012)
 Arrested for failing to register as
a sex offender & possession of
heroin
 Crimes the following week:
• Murder of 17 year-old woman
near Vista Bridge
• Murder of 32 year-old homeless
advocate on Belmont St.
Mark Daniel Beebout
CPSO Officers Deal with Some Very Serious Offenders
 31 y/o non-student
 Arrested in Lincoln Hall restroom
where he spent night (2013)
 Charged with trespass &
possession of heroin
 Other recent crimes:
• Kidnapping & robbery of jewelry
store in Pearl District
• Knifepoint robbery near Lloyd
Center
Eric Eno
CPSO Staffing at PSU is Very Low Compared to Most Schools
FBI Uniform Crime Reports (2012)
 657 Universities & Colleges with full Police Department
 Avg. 2.5 officers per 1,000 students
 Avg. 1.6 civilian employees per 1,000 students
 If PSU was in “average range” we would have 121
employees at CPSO*
• Currently have 19 officers & staff members
• Bottom 5th percentile
*Based on 2013 data for students & CPSO staff (OIRP)
PSU Only School in Urban-21 Without Sworn Police Dept.
Schools with
fully-sworn
police force
Schools
without fullysworn police
force
PSU has Lowest CPSO Employee Rate of Urban-21
FBI Uniform
Crime Reports
(2012)
 Portland ranked
21st in violent
crime rate
 10th in property
crime rate
Three OUS Schools Have/Will Have Sworn Officers
Schools with
fully-sworn
police force
Schools
without fullysworn police
force
Note: OSU contracts with State Police for some services
Portland Has Lowest CPSO Staffing in OUS System
FBI Uniform
Crime Reports
(2012)
 Portland ranked
1st in violent
crime rate
 1st in property
crime rate
Campus Grown Considerably – CPSO Has Not Kept Pace
% Chg. Since
1995
Year
1995
2000
2005
2010
2013
Sq. Feet
Buildings
(1,000)
3,351
3,668
4,186
4,856
4,846
Students
14,342
20,026
25,147
29,818
29,452
Faculty
Staff
(Full & Part- (Class. &
CPSO
time)
Acad. Prof.) Employees
970
613
15
1,114
635
16
1,495
1,075
18
1,791
1,315
18
1,818
1,409
19
Note: 1998 data used for faculty, staff, & CPSO in 1995; 2014 data used for 2013 building space
Campus Policing is Growing in Complexity
 Professionalization of campus policing
• Preparation for “active-shooter” incident
• Policies governing use of force, profiling, etc.
• Complexity of sexual assault investigations
• Increased coordination with student services
 Unique challenges at PSU
• Open urban campus – attractive to potential offenders
• People with mental health needs, homeless
• Vague boundaries - city, private, & PSU controlled land
• Businesses in campus buildings (e.g., Seattle’s Best, Pizzacato)
Recommendations
1. Continue to improve access control
• Establish & maintain official business hours
• Standardize electronic door systems
• Increase use of PSU IDs for entry & authentication
2. Increase safety awareness & emergency planning
• Public safety media campaign
• Critical incident training for staff & faculty
• Expand participation with PSU alert system
Recommendations
3. Bifurcation of campus safety duties
• Non-sworn officers to provide safety escorts, access
control, crime prevention, etc.
• Sworn officers to cover arrests, follow-up investigations,
serve warrants, provide transportation to jail/hospital
Options Considered
• Creation of PSU police force
• Collaboration with OHSU
• Contract with Portland Police
“The most ideal campus
safety staffing model is one
that allows PSU access to
dedicated professionals,
who are part of the PSU
ethos and community, who
have sworn police officer
status.”