Jim Petty, director of security, wants parents to know that his staff has the safety of students first and foremost on their minds. He recently released a booklet which includes information concerning crimes at the college, prevention measures and emergency phone numbers.
The Security Guide is available for parents and students and is posted on the school's website. Petty said he enjoyed putting together the 18-page booklet.
"It was fun. There is a lot of information in this that will help parents feel a little better about their child's safety," he said.
The main focus of the booklet is two pages covering the annual campus security report. Petty wrote that the security department is not even two years old, but has made a positive impact on the campus.
"We have been involved in many situations on campus and have dealt with each one as professionally and courteously as possible," Petty said.
From August 2010 to April 2011, the department issued 431 parking and 40 housing citations, according to the annual report. The report also noted that 19 citations were issued for alcohol violations from January to May 2011 (2011 spring semester) while two assaults were reported in that same time period.
That is down from three assaults reported from August to December 2010.
In the 2011 spring semester, three illegal narcotic cases were investigated.
Petty noted that 10 personal property thefts, one possession of a weapon and a student injury were reported in the spring while five verbal disturbances were resolved.
Also, the security department is working with the Texas Fire Marshal's Office, which anticipates a FEMA grant for the Have An Exit Strategy (HAES) program.
This program is a self-awareness and self-responsibile initiative directed at the students, staff and visitors of the college.
Petty said everyone on campus should "be aware of their surroundings and the placement of exits where they work, play and sleep."
Petty said that the recentlyinstalled RAVE mobile safety alert system is working well. The system sends a broadcast message to as many students, faculty and staff as possible. It was used last week to announce the 9 a.m. start time due to wintery conditions.
