Res. Living alters security procedures

Guards will patrol in dorms Residential Living has adopted a new method of keeping dormitories safe, which should improve efficiency and save money, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said yesterday. Security marshals, now provided by the Pittsburgh-based Allied Security firm, will not only check identification at the entrances of dorms, but will also patrol inside the buildings and the immediate periphery of the buildings from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. Simeone said these mobile guards, called rovers, will check to make sure that fire doors are not propped open, look for fire-hazards, and check safety alarms and security lighting. The guards will also monitor such areas as the roof-top lounges and basements in the high rises. This is a complete break from the past, when McGinn Security Service -- the firm previously in charge of dormitory security -- solely was stationed to check students' identification. "The benefit of the rovers, particularly when they are going about the periphery of buildings, is that they are another deterrent," Simeone said. "They are seen as another security component of the campus." The guards will also be in constant radio contact with University Police, once all the radios are repaired, University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said. The practice of having guards call in to make sure they are alert began in the spring semester after McGinn guards were caught asleep on the job. Kuprevich said many of the radios were broken when they were returned by McGinn and badly in need of repair. For administrative purposes, the campus has been divided into four "clusters," with an Allied supervisor assigned to two clusters on a shift. The supervisors will make rounds and make sure that all breaches of security are documented by University Police. Another major change is that the desk receptionist position will be eliminated in most buildings during the over-night "graveyard" shift. The Allied guard will act as both a receptionist and security marshall, Simeone said. The exceptions to this new system are Stouffer College House, the Quadrangle and W.E.B. DuBois College House. The Quad will go to one guard at 4 a.m. and DuBois House at 2 a.m. The Allied guard will be stationed at the reception desk and turnstiles will be locked to make sure that all visitors and residents receive permission from the guard to enter. Simeone said the change was made because University Police decided that it was unnecessary to have two people working during the hours when student traffic is low. Allied was chosen in July to replace McGinn after a three-month search that turned up 14 applicants. The firm is operating with a two-year contract.