The College of Southern Marylands Public Safety and Preparedness Department (PSD) is looking for input from students and community members on safety concerns on each campus. The online Public Safety Survey will evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the Colleges PSD and will be used as a guideline to better serve the college community. Anyone associated with the college is encouraged to participate in this survey which will remain online through February 2011.
The Public Safety Survey is being conducted in compliance with the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, renamed the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, which requires colleges and universities to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. Enforced by the U.S. Department of Education, the Clery Act is tied to participation in federal student financial aid programs.
CSM's Public Safety and Preparedness Department is led by Interim Executive Director Benjamin Effinger, who recently separated from the United States Air Force after serving eight years as a military police officer. Effinger possesses a current FBI Hostage Negotiator Certification, and background experience as a criminal investigator and crime prevention officer. Public Safety offices are located at La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince Frederick campuses and staffed with 19 full-time, part-time and temporary public safety officers with backgrounds in military operations, loss prevention, campus security, corrections, law enforcement and physical security.
To participate in CSMs Public Safety Department survey, visit http://www.csmd.edu/surveys/. For information on CSMs campus public safety report, visit www.csmd.edu/about/publicsafety.
Sidebar
Top-10 Crime Prevention Tips (on and off campus)
1. There is safety in numbers: when possible, walk with others in well-lit areas.
2. Be aware of your surroundings: when walking alone, dont be distracted by a music player or cell phone, watch for suspicious activity.
3. When walking out to your car, have keys ready and take a quick look around and inside your car before getting in.
4. Keep cell phone handy and have emergency contact numbers, including campus public safety and local police, programmed into your phone.
Local police (Non-Emergency):
Charles County: 301-932-2222
Calvert County: 410-535-2800
St. Marys County: 301-475-4040
Campus Public Safety and Preparedness:
La Plata Campus: 301-934-7888
Leonardtown Campus: 240-725-5333
Prince Frederick Campus: 240-682-9190
In an EMERGENCY: 9-1-1
5. If you have a concern for your personal safety while on campus, call Public Safety to request an escort.
6. Keep personal belongings in a secure, concealed location such as a locked locker or in the trunk of your car, or carry items with you at all times.
7. Let close family and friends know your schedule. If you are doing something not consistent with your regular schedule let those family and friends know where you will be, when you will return and how to reach you.
8. Play the What if? game: Imagine yourself in a bad situation and think about the steps you would take in order to rectify that situation.
9. Be active in protecting your identity: Use a shredder for paper documents, when using a computer for personal business only use trusted, secure sites, and if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
10. Report suspicious activity to your campus public safety or non-emergency police line: Crime Prevention is everyones duty.
For these and other crime prevention tips, visit www.csmd.edu/about/publicsafety or the National Crime Prevention Council at www.ncpc.org.