Security Blows The Whistle On Crime

By: Megan Furtado
Posted In: News

Murder. Aggravated assault. Robbery.

Every Salve student should be pleased to know that none of these occurred during the last school year on his or her campus.

One of the biggest concerns for parents sending their teenagers to college is the crime rate, both on and off campus. Nobody wants to send their child to a university where they are in danger when they walk down the road to their dormitory after dark. There is little to fear on the Salve campus, with an avid Department of Safety and Security ready for any sign of distress.

“We’re really very fortunate. We have a very safe campus,” says Mr. John Mixter, Head of the Department Of Safety and Security. “Most of the crimes on campus are relatively minor acts of vandalism.”

The state of Rhode Island requires that all institutes of higher learning publish a list of crime statistics each year, stating all crimes that are reportable under the Crime Awareness and Campus Safety Act of 1990. In 2002, Salve reported no murders or manslaughters, robberies, motor vehicle thefts, drug, liquor, and weapons arrests, or hate crimes. Other numbers reported were relatively low compared to the statistics of other colleges in the state of Rhode Island, especially those that are located in city areas like Providence, where the crime rate of the surrounding area is higher.

“I would consider Newport to have a lower crime rate, as opposed to Providence, where students have to deal with the city crime,” Mixter says. “We have crime in Newport, but it doesn’t seem to affect us at school.”

The Department of Safety and Security has also taken precautions to make the Salve campus as safe as possible for students. There are 24 emergency call boxes (the yellow pillars with blue lights) scattered across campus. If a student pushes the call button, an alarm goes immediately to the Security building at Tobin Hall, giving the precise location of the call box that went off. Even if the student is unable to give his or her whereabouts, Security officers know exactly where they are, and an emergency squad car will be there immediately. There is also an EMT on staff at all times.

The Department of Security also works closely with the Newport Fire Department, the Newport Fire Marshal, and the Newport Police Department. The numerous fire trucks that have been seen hanging around Miley Hall aren’t due to overzealous students pulling false fire alarms. The members of the Newport Fire Department are scouting New Miley to learn the layout of the building in case of a real emergency.

“I’m very impressed,” says Mixter, “They’re very responsive and very helpful.”

In regards to what students can do to keep themselves safe on campus, Mixter gives, “the same advice I gave to my daughter: common sense. Lock your dorm room when you go out, walk in pairs at night, and notify Security if you see anything suspicious.”

One more question: there’s a rumor going around that during Freshman Orientation whistles were distributed to students in case they were assaulted on campus. Is that true?

Mixter: “I have no knowledge that whistles were distributed. Neither does Dean Quinn.” But on campus, there’s really no need for a whistle when Security is a step ahead of the crime.