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Partly cloudy. High 87F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 64F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Labette Community College is working to increase security measures on its campus through installation of CASE Blue Light Tower emergency phone systems in all high traffic areas around campus.
Labette Community College is working to increase security measures on its campus through installation of CASE Blue Light Tower emergency phone systems in all high traffic areas around campus.
Labette Community College is working to increase security measures on its campus by installing Blue Light Tower emergency phone systems, providing an added level of security for staff, students and patrons visiting the campus.
Multiple towers will be placed throughout campus in high traffic areas.
“Labette Community College is committed to keeping our campus community safe. We've seen an increase in vandalism issues on campus so we want to be proactive,” LCC interim Public Relations Director Lindi Forbes said. “Additionally, we now have The Cardinal Villas student housing apartments that continue to be filled to capacity. The Villas are located on the opposite side of our campus from the athletic complex, library and other buildings, which has created a big increase in foot traffic across campus.”
The Blue Light Towers project is a partnership with the Parsons Police Department, Forbes said. When the towers are activated, a 911 call will be initiated to the Parsons Police Department. There will also be a camera system on the towers. LCC and the Parsons police will be able to access the camera footage in case of emergencies or as any other needs arise.
“Once the towers are fully constructed, it will demonstrate to students, prospective students and their families the high importance LCC places on safety and security,” Forbes said.
Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said the police department supports proactive crime prevention measures taken by partner agencies and the general public.
The towers have already been purchased utilizing Maintenance of Effort Funds received from the state and the concrete pads are in place, said Jody Burzinski, IT director. The college is still waiting on freight for the towers themselves to be delivered. Each of these CASE Emergency Systems Blue Light Towers ordered through NEWCOM cost about $16,000, including the concrete base.
Other options were explored for the community college, and LCC did quite a bit of research with the college’s counterparts before moving forward. For example, they looked at cell phone apps, but Burzinski said often, in the event of a threat, a cell phone may be taken from an individual. Also, with an app the student would need to download and configure, and many may not do this until they realize they need it.
Additionally, she said, they found a lot of the campus safety apps are designed for colleges with their own campus police.
While some colleges across the United States are pulling out older hardwired units installed in the 1990s and early 2000s that have become outdated in technology, colleges still report sustained value in having the towers on their campuses for student safety and security.
“One of the Kansas universities had started to remove them and was faced with quite a bit of pushback from the students. So even though the towers were not engaged often, it did provide a certain level of safety that they were there and available,” Burzinski said. “LCC has been fortunate that we have not seen a need for them in the past. However, with the addition of the Villas, and increased vandalism on campus, we decided now was the time. The towers also give the PD a visual as to what they are responding to. The towers will also not be restricted to only those enrolled at LCC. Anyone in the community in the area can activate a tower.”
Research across campuses showed pranks or false calls were pretty rare with the camera and its wide angle lens in sight.
There is a monthly fee for the wireless service, but due to the nature of the device it is very minimal, much less than even a typical cell phone.
“We were also able to utilize our current cell carrier (Russell Cellular (ParCom)/Verizon) without paying high startup cost,” Burzinski said. “The units are contained, so there was no additional cost for electrical or network connectivity, and they are also solar powered.”
“These self-contained blue tower phones are a positive addition to LCC and the community,” Spinks said. “PPD has provided input to LCC for this project. Those institutions that have pulled blue light phones usually failed to maintain old infrastructure that relied on hard wired units that had no CCTV (closed-circuit TV) capability. But many student government associations, staff and faculty have pushed back wanting the units to remain and be upgraded. A cell phone or app should not be an either or option, but an additional layer of protection.”
Students or faculty do need to engage the button if they want to call the police for assistance. However, should need be, both the police department and LCC can view the cameras without the tower being activated. So should there be an intruder on campus, all systems could be activated to view the area. The systems can also be used for public announcements to send emergency announcements if needed.
“It’s great to know that LCC is more concerned about crime prevention and student, staff, faculty and visitor safety than some intuitions,” Spinks said. “The PD will be evaluating these units to see if they can provide a prevention, deterrent and displacement effect on crime that could be expanded into city parks.”
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