FOCUS: A progress report on Allied Security

Two years later? (continue from page 1) Residential Living employees and student workers usually check IDs and work at dormitory reception desks during the day. But Allied officers fill both these roles during the late night shift which runs from midnight to 8 a.m. "Previously there was a security marshal and a desk receptionist during the graveyard shift," Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said. But now there is only one security officer who covers both posts during early morning hours. Algard said this change was a "cost-conscious initiative" that was made since the volume of "people traffic" in the early morning is low. "You have to base it on the transaction rate -- how many people have come and gone, how can you correctly monitor the traffic and not have any violations," he said. But some students believe that one officer on duty may not be sufficient. "There should be more security after midnight," Nursing freshman and Quadrangle resident Christine Puglia said. "I can't see them being able to stop anyone if they're alone." Some students said they have witnessed guards sleeping during this period. College freshman Joanne Piesieski said she saw an officer sleeping more than a month ago as she exited the Quad early one morning. Although four Allied officers were fired for sleeping on duty soon after the firm came to the University, most students said they have never seen an Allied officer asleep. "I've seen them reading with walkmen, but never asleep," College junior Florence Yeh said. Although guards are permitted to participate in other activities while on duty as long as they are mentally alert, Algard said that sleeping on the job is a serious offense and is usually cause for immediate termination. Algard emphasized that Allied officers must be able to handle the number of people entering the gate, which often involves paying total attention to the entrance gate. But he said that if guards are able to read, listen to the radio or talk on the phone while effectively monitoring incoming students, then they may do so. Many students said they have noticed that some security officers do not look up to make eye contact with people entering the dorms or ask to verify their picture IDs. College freshman Jeff Barkoff said that he usually shows his picture regardless of whether or not the security officer requests to see it. "I show my card," the Quad resident said. "But I realize they don't generally look up." Quad resident and College freshman Paras Shah noticed security officers were "more strict" about asking to see photos after an intoxicated Physical Plant worker entered the Quad without showing ID last month and harassed students. A Residential Living employee was on duty at the time. Yeh, a High Rise South resident, said she is occasionally asked to show her picture when she enters the dormitory. "I think checking pictures is good as a precautionary measure, but it's not necessary," she said. EXPANDED ROLE More than a year ago, Allied's role in University security expanded when they were hired to secure other campus locations in addition to residences. Rodin's master security plan created "Community Walks" to boost coverage of the most frequented areas of campus. According to Algard, security officers patrol these walks in an effort to prevent crime by making their presence known while also reacting properly to incidents that occur. Each of the five Community Walk stretches is patrolled by one Allied officer from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. The Department of Public Safety also assigns Allied security officers to other locations, such as the transit stops at 3401 Walnut Street, Gimble Gymnasium and the David Rittenhouse Laboratory building, along with several campus parking lots. According to Algard, certain other locations, including Chats and the Franklin Building, pay to have Allied secure their facilities. And there are three kiosks presently in operation along Locust Walk, where guards are stationed to answer questions and keep order during the daytime. Allied Officer Salustiano Rosario, who mans the kiosk at 37th Street and Locust Walk, said his main duties are to provide information and campus maps and to "to keep an eye on" any "suspicious looking" people. Allied officers are not armed but are trained to call University Police in the event of an emergency. Rosario said he recently had to call the police when a homeless man was verbally harassing students on the Walk. But many students are not aware of the purpose behind the kiosks and have never made use of them. Yeh said she had never noticed the kiosks, which are located at 33rd, 37th and 40th streets along Locust Walk. "I don't know what they do," Shah said of the officers who monitor the kiosks. "I guess they're there for emergencies." But others said they believe the presence of guards on Locust Walk has a positive preventative effect on crime. "If there were no guards, there would probably be people walking around with machine guns robbing everyone," College and Engineering sophomore Evan Witt said. "The guards don't have anything to do," he added. "They're bored but their visibility is good." College sophomore Allison Price agreed that Allied's presence makes a difference. "I definitely feel safer because of them," she said. ALLIED'S SUCCESS Many administrators said they believe that students feel secure on campus largely as a result of Allied's efforts. "Students feel on the whole very comfortable with Allied and with residential security in general," Simeone said. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said many students feel safe, "especially those who take appropriate precautions, as is important on an urban campus." While many students agreed that they feel safe on campus, some did not credit Allied officers for giving them that impression. "I feel safe on campus, but it's not because of them," Puglia said. "They're never around when you need them." Shah said he rarely sees guards on Locust Walk. "If something happens to me, I would want [a guard] to be there," he added. McCoullum said she believes Allied is an improvement from its predecessor. But she said she also hopes to see more University-wide training and procedural standards set for security in the future. "I hear lots of good things and I hear some concerns," the vice provost said. She added that she hopes to conduct a formal evaluation of Allied next year. "The anecdotes are not enough for me," she said. "It is important to have hard data on performance. This is a perfect time for formal assessment." TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES Algard admits that there is always room for security improvements, many of which can be accomplished through increased and better technology. "If there is technology that I can apply to give the same amount of safety and if I can create a savings in that, then I may be able to pull security officers and reemploy them somewhere else and make them more useful," he said. He has proposed one such technological improvement that will allow him to evaluate the efficiency of roaming guards. Under the plan, guards would contact a central control room electronically every time they complete a circuit of their assigned route. Public Safety officials would then be able to use the ratio of completed routes to incidents to determine how effective the roaming guards are. "If the frequency rate goes up and the incidents go down, it says the tactic is working," Algard said. "So if it doesn't, we have to regroup." Ideally, guards would be located where they prevent the most crime while helping students to feel safe. But Allied supervisor Bernard Uqhardt noted that it is often difficult to measure the effectiveness of roaming guards. "It is hard to put a quantitative number on how many crimes you have prevented," he said. Another technological advancement that may put guards into more visible position on Community Walks is an automated system of residential security. But some students do not feel comfortable with the idea of automated ID checkers. "I'd rather have people there," Price said. And Puglia said that although automated ID checkers "sound like a good idea," they should not be substitutions for the guards, especially in case of emergency. "There are certain ways to get around everything," she added. "There should be a guard at hand."

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