NEWS: University Police Discuss Campus Safety

(Source: "Dayton 06-2019 38 - Dayton Police Department Police Car" by David Ellis, via Flickr)

UT-Tyler Police Department gave an update about campus safety to student government on Oct. 13. The topics ranged from campus blue lights to parking, to many others. 

I thought readers might like to know this information too, so here is a recap of what they discussed. To get the full Q&A session without my highlights and paraphrase, then visit SGA’s YouTube page. 

The session was a question-and-answer format. UTTPD's representatives were Chief of Police Mike Medders and Assistant Chief of Police Bradley Standerder.

Please remember that this information is as fresh as Oct. 13, 2022 (although, I think the information is still relevant). 

Here is my recap:  

License Plate Readers At All Entrances 

UTTPD now has license plate readers at all campus entrances, according to Chief of Police Mike Medders.

Assistant Chief of Police Bradley Standerfer said, in another part of the meeting, that the license plate readers help the police department identify possible perpetrators of campus crimes. 

“So if a burglary does occur and we’re watching the cameras at the entrance and we see a vehicle enter at midnight, and then we see [that same vehicle] leave at two o’clock in the morning, we’re able to limit down who all is committing these crimes,” Standerfer said.

Standerfer said it was due to the readers that UTTPD was finally able to identify the perpetrator of catalytic converter thefts that were happening at the beginning of the semester and work with other agencies to see him arrested. 

So, there are license plate readers now at every campus entrance. 

Blue Lights

As far as UTTPD knows, blue lights aren’t going anywhere. Meddars said the blue lights don’t get much use, but he believes they deter people who come on campus.  

Standerfer said the blue lights were also just upgraded from 3G to 4G. So as far as he knows, “they’re going to stay here for a long time,” he said,

Gunshot Detector

UTTPD will soon install a gunshot detector that will cover all of campus, Medders said. The detector will be able to identify a gunshot and immediately notify UTTPD. 

"We're always looking for ways to enhance safety and security on this campus," Medders said. "It's another thing we're doing to increase safety on campus."

Reporting Suspicious Activity 

When reporting suspicious activity, Medders said go ahead and call UTTPD right then. (903-566-7300.) They'd like to know when something happens so that they can act on it.  

UTTPD sometimes get reports that are a day or two old, Medders said, because the people who report often feel unsure if they should say something in the moment. They call in later, he said. 

Medders encouraged the students to call right away. “If you see something, say something," he said. “We would like to know about it right then.” 

UTTPD dispatch is reachable 24/7.  

Underutilized Police Services

Underutilized campus police services are the RAVE Guardian App, the department’s active shooter training service, and its SAFE walks, UTTPD said in response to an SGA member who asked if there were any police services UTTPD wished students used more. 

Active Shooter Training

Assistant Chief of Police Bradley Standerfer said UTTPD is available to conduct active shooter training, including with student organizations too, not just staff departments.. 

RAVE Guardian App

Medders said the RAVE Guardian app has helpful services for students. One of them is a safety timer. 

The way it works is, if you are walking to your car and do not eventually deactivate your safety timer, then when it goes off, it immediately notifies campus police. "We'd be able to get to you quickly,” Medders said.

The RAVE Guardian app also allows users to text UTTPD dispatch (instead of just call). So, if you want to notify police discretely, then you can text UTTPD though the app, Medders said. 

The app is available the App Store. UTTPD also has more information on its webpage. 

SAFE Walks

UTTPD will escort you to your vehicle or other campus location at night at no charge thanks according to its SAFE Walk program. The escort is by a uniformed police officer. Call 903-566-7300 to request an escort. See also UTTPD’s website.

These are the police services UTTPD offers students that Medders and Standerfer said are often underutilized. 

Cameras in Student Housing 

Most housing facilities have security cameras now. Standerfer said the department did "a lot of work" this summer to update the security cameras’ coverage throughout campus. "We do lose cameras sometimes. Technology is what it is,” he said.

Part of the solution to housing security is training people to keep their doors locked as a safety measure, he said. 

Parking Permit 

One SGA member asked if there was a way to reduce the cost of residential life to students by combining the parking permit fee into the total price of residential housing.

Standerfer said that UTTPD is must keep the parking fee separate due to state law and may not combine the parking permit fee into other fees. He also observed that not all students choose to drive on campus, so UTTPD doesn’t charge students for parking if they don’t have a vehicle.

However, he said the department has taken steps to try to make the parking permit situation easier on students. For example, they have a grace period for fines during the first two weeks of the semester and permit purchasing is now 100 percent online. So, students don’t have to travel to the police department or wait in line anymore to purchase it, he said. 

He also said UTTPD is aiming to make parking compliance by liscence plate only, hopefully within the next two years. 

These are the efforts UTTPD has taken to make purchasing a parking permit easier on students. 

Parking Permit Fee Increase

When asked about the possibility of a price increase to the parking permit, Medders sympathized with the concern for the parking permit cost. “Just so you know, every police department employee has a parking permit. So, we’re not exempt from it either.” (Turns out, staff and faculty pay $120 for their permits.)

Medders is unaware of any plans to raise the permit price, he said. 

However, “We are talking about raising the cost of fines for parking violations, particularly for no permit,” he said.  

“Right now, I think it’s $35 dollars. A permit costs you $90. So you could get almost three tickets before you’d have to….you know. So you might see that go up, the fines.” 

(I believe he was saying that the no permit fine isn’t high enough to deter people from trying to illegally park without a permit, so someone could get almost three tickets before they’d have to pay the same amount for a parking permit. This is just my interpretation.) 

Parking on Varsity Drive

Standerfer said at this meeting that UTTPD would be limiting the parking in the next six months or so to the south side of varsity drive due to safety concerns. “We’ve had a few incidents of people almost being hit from walking across the street. We are concerned for safety at this point,” he said.

[UPDATE: Varsity Drive is a city street and a UT-Tyler spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that UTTPD is working with the City of Tyler to address the situation as of the date of this article’s publication.]

Lost and Found

People turn in found items to campus police and UTTPD does keep a “lost and found” item inventory, UTTPD confirmed. “We don't like taking clothes because we have limited space,” Standerfer said, “but anything like cell phones, wallets, ID cards. You can call up there and we can search through our property database to know what's in there.”  

Medders said, “We have a lot of stuff that never gets claimed, and sometimes it's cash! People need to know that they can call us and check.”

Campus Carry

One student asked if Medders could explain why he’s seen signs that students are not allowed to carry a concealed handgun on campus when licensed concealed carry is legal. Medders said iff there is a specific event, such as a K-12 event in a specific area, then they will put up the signs. He said he knows they have stored the signs in a breezeway and that this creates confusion. He said he has asked that they not be stored there and would follow-up on that.

Omen Crosswalk Dark at Night

One SGA member asked if UTTPD could do anything about how dark Old Omen crosswalk is at night. “It is completely pitch black unless those lights are flashing,” the member said.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Medders said. ”As a matter of fact, we’ll look at that this evening and we’ll make recommendations to facilities if we see that will be a benefit…because that’s a big deal.”
Medders said UTTPD has seen a significant reduction in violations now that the crosswalk moved to its new location. Old Omen is safer than it was, no doubt, but he would look into that if there is a nighttime problem.

[UPDATE: A university spokesperson said in a statement on January 24, “We appreciate the student feedback concerning the crosswalk lighting on Old Omen. Facilities, in collaboration with Oncor Electric, has increased the lighting at the crosswalk.” Props to SGA.] 

Narcan

In response to a member’s question, UTTPD confirmed it does carry Narcan in the police department lobby and the department will be purchasing more of it, Standerfer said. “We want to find a way to put that in every patrol car." 

(Narcan is a nasal spray treatment for emergency opioid and fentanyl overdose.)  

"The funding we had ran out [from a government program]...but we will find a way to fund that program,” he said. 

Loose Doors at Longview Campus Building

One student asked what UTTPD could do about loose building doors in a building on the Longview campus. She said it is a safety concern and asked if more people could go out and patrol or what safety measures “could be done about that.”

Standerfer said UTTPD has a police officer dedicated to Longview Monday through Friday. UTTPD will double check that the officer is doing regular walkthroughs. There is also a public safety officer (PSO) or guard who comes through from about 5:30 p.m. to close, he said. 

He said this is also similar at the Palestine campus.

“So if you see something suspicious, if you call our dispatch line her at the [903-566-7300], we’ll be able to get a hold of him and we’ll be able to respond very quickly,” he said.

Standerfer also said, “We do have a problem with people propping [open] doors. We would love to try to stop that very quickly.” One of the biggest security feature is a locked door, he said, and it's important to make sure those doors aren't getting propped open.

So they said they would double check that the walkthroughs were happening. 

A Road Between Library And Business College

One student asked, Can UT-Tyler make the walkway between the library and the business building into a road so that drivers don’t have to go back out off of campus and drive all the way around to get from one location to another?

Standerfer said this was an idea student government could propose, but added that generally, a lot of campuses try to reduce the number of on-campus roads because of a safety concern. 

Praise for Palestine Officer

A student gave props to UTTPD for a Palestine officer who she said is really nice and talks to everyone and is always monitoring the campus over there. “He’s always been so sweet and always loves everyone,” she said.

Both Medders and Standerfer said they appreciated that feedback. Standerfer said his name is Ricky Jones and that they’re grateful to have him. 

UTTPD Rolling Out Post-Contact Surveys

Standerfer said UTTPD will have a “post-contact” satisfaction survey for people who interact with the police to complete in the next couple weeks (since this Oct. 13 meeting). 

“We’re trying to bridge the gap between the community and us,” he said.

So basically, after any police contact, whether traffic stop or post-theft response, the post-contact survey will include questions such as, “Is there anything you need from the police department?” and “Do you want more or less patrol? Were you treated fairly during your interaction?” and questions such as these. 

UTTPD is actually on the forefront of this, one of the first universities in the nation to do this, Stanferfer said.

Closing Comments

Medders said, “We really appreciate the invite. Again, we are here for you all, the student body. So anytime you have any questions or any concerns, please reach out to us. That’s what we’re here for.” 

Student Body President Landry Smith replied, “I think I speak for all students when saying that we really really(sic) appreciate what ya’ll do. So thank you so much. I know that appreciation is sometimes not as vocalized, but we really do appreciate it.”

That’s pretty much the meeting recap! You can find the full video of this Q&A session on SGA’s YouTube page. 

Twitter: @jhescock12

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Feature image: "Dayton 06-2019 38 - Dayton Police Department Police Car" by David Ellis, via Flickr.