DPS arming still in progress, Porter says

The University is forging ahead with its plan to arm campus police officers and the training portion of the implementation process is 90 percent complete, Chief of Police Mark Porter said at a Brown University Community Council meeting Tuesday in Leung Gallery.

By the end of November, 22 campus police officers will each have completed the required 160 hours of training, which involves psychological testing, background checks, diversity training, instruction in verbal persuasion and practice on Firearms Training Simula-tion, a video program which tests an officer's ability to respond to situations under pressure, according to Porter.

Two new committees, the Officer Conduct Review Board and the Public Safety Oversight Committee, have been approved by President Ruth Simmons to serve as checks to ensure proper use of force by officers and to make recommendations and policy adjustments when necessary. Both committees are currently in the process of choosing members.

The decision to arm officers, first announced by Simmons in December 2003, followed the recommendations of a consulting group led by William Bratton, now chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The Bratton Group found that activities such as conducting vehicle stops, pursuing fleeing suspects and arresting armed perpetrators could not be performed safely and regularly by unarmed officers.

Currently, campus police officers adhere to a DPS policy that requires them to disengage when faced with a violent crime or weapon, which is "untenable insofar as assuring the safety of our community," Porter wrote in a summary distributed at the meeting. Once armed, officers will be allowed to draw their weapons and exercise "deadly force" only when someone faces "bodily threat or harm" or "imminent danger," said Porter, who took over as chief of police and director of DPS in April.

Once the training and implementation processes are completed, not all campus police officers in the department will be armed. DPS employs an additional 18 security officers who regularly patrol the campus and will remain unarmed, Porter said at the meeting.

A broader plan

Brown's blueprint for arming is an "excellent" one that could become a model that other colleges follow, Porter said in an interview. He emphasized, however, that arming is just one component of the department's plan to increase security on and around campus.

Since the beginning of this summer, DPS has strategically deployed officers to vulnerable and previously targeted areas in response to several assaults that took place around campus last fall, Porter told The Herald. The officers will be both uniformed and plain clothed, a first for DPS.

On Sept. 29, 2004, a 25-year-old Barrington resident was assaulted and robbed on Angell Street between Thayer and Brown streets. On Oct. 14, 2004, a male Brown student was assaulted by two men on Prospect Street between Olive and Cushing streets. Three days later, a part-time Brown employee was assaulted by three men in broad daylight near the greenhouse on Waterman Street.

"Locating officers (strategically) helps reduce the fear of crime in the community," Porter said. "We're taking a proactive approach when a crime does occur. You want to get ahead of it ... and detect possible patterns."

Uniformed officers are deployed 24 hours a day, and there are six on duty patrolling the campus at any given time, he said.

"We spent the spring and last summer trying to get a handle on our deployment strategy," Porter said. "We're going to be taking a little different approach, one more comprehensive and proactive than before."

Report shows decrease in on-campus crime

Despite these incidents, the number of reported crimes on campus has generally declined since 2002, according to the recently released campus crime report. The report details crime statistics for the year ending Dec. 31, 2004.

In 2002, for example, there were seven reported forcible sex offenses on campus, compared to three in 2004, according to the report. DPS received 86 reports of burglary on campus in 2002, compared to 40 in 2004. In 2002, there were six reported incidents of aggravated assault on campus, compared to only one in 2004.

Porter acknowledged the falling numbers and attributed recent successes to a more vigilant and strategic department. "Our officers have worked hard, and we have been effective in terms of our approach," he said.

Increased cooperation with PPD, Hope High

But Porter said that there is always room for improvement and added that better protecting the campus often involves thinking beyond College Hill. Further collaboration with the Providence Police Department and Hope High School is a vital component of a more proactive approach to campus safety, he said.

Porter said he meets weekly with PPD to get a "clear picture" of crimes and incidents occurring outside the University community.

PPD announced in September that it had captured the high-profile robber Stephen Celico, whom police had nicknamed the "Good-Looking Bandit" based on descriptions provided by witnesses.

From June 22 until his capture on Sept. 7, Celico allegedly robbed 12 stores in Providence, including Geoff's Superlative Sandwiches on Benefit Street, Small Pleasures on Hope Street and the Pastry Gourmet in North Providence, making off with approximately $3,600, according to the Providence Journal. He has been charged with 12 counts of robbery and two counts of intent to commit robbery.

Though Celico's capture was the work of Providence police, DPS regularly communicated with PPD during the search, Porter said.

Further collaboration and communication with Hope High is another component to DPS's strategy this year. "We laid out our concerns about some disturbance problems in the past where students would walk through campus and disturb certain areas," most notably Faunce House, Porter said.

Three weeks ago, a recently installed video camera in Faunce recorded footage of a Hope High student throwing orange juice inside the building. The footage was handed over to Hope High administrators who then suspended the student and several others who were with him, Porter said.

"It's important for us to create a stronger connection and partnership with Hope High so their students can enjoy this campus, but at the same time respect it," Porter said. "If a problem arises, how you handle it is very important; you never want to overreact. We want to be clear that disruptive activities and behavior will not be tolerated, and I thought Hope High responded wonderfully in terms of working with us and taking action (in the incident three weeks ago)."

Last spring also marked the start of a pilot internship program between DPS and Hope High. Two Hope High seniors were given the opportunity to shadow officers, work with detectives in fingerprinting and other investigative activities and learn about the functionality of a police department for three weeks, said Michelle Nuey, manager of special services at DPS.

In light of the program's success last spring, DPS will consider expanding the program by offering opportunities for other local high school students who are interested in law enforcement careers.

"Brown's relationship with Hope High is an important one," Nuey said. "DPS is just a small piece of that puzzle.