Physical Plant

Security Issues

Report to the Community

It is an unfortunate fact that criminal incidents of all types occur on college campuses. Most colleges around the country investigate and make public the nature of crimes and how frequently they occur. Westmont follows this practice and believes that reporting this information to the public increases community awareness of the importance of taking steps to prevent criminal activity.

Reporting Crimes

Westmont encourages victims of crime to report the incidents to Campus Public Safety regardless of how insignificant the crime maybe appear. To report a crime, a victim or witness need only call extension 6222 or 565-6222. A public safety officer will take the information. The officer will make an official report and send a copy to the victim upon request. College administrators receive reports about crime on a regular basis.

Westmont Public Safety officers will also assist victims who want to report crimes to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Department.

Actual Crime at Westmont

In comparison with other campuses of similar size, Westmont has one of the lowest crime rates in California. The chart below illustrates the actual number of crimes reported to campus authorities during the past three years. Beginning with the 1999 statistics, additional new categories have been added. They include manslaughter, hate crimes, and persons referred for campus disciplinary action for violation of liquor, drug, and weapons laws. In addition, the crime statistics are broken into the following 4 groups: offenses that occur on campus, offenses that occur in or at a non-campus building, offenses that occur in the residence halls, and offenses that occur on public property areas contiguous to the campus.

Crimes on Campus
Classification	1998	1999	2000
Homicide/Non-Negligent	0	0	0
Manslaughter
Sex offenses (forcible)	0	0	0
Sex offenses (non-forcible)	0	0	0
Robbery	0	0	0
Aggravated Assault	0	0	0
Burglary	4	4	2
Automobile Theft	0	1	1
Arson	0	1	0
Negligent Manslaughter	0	0	0
Alcohol Violations	4	17	0
Illegal Drug Violations	0	0	1
Weapons Violations	0	0	0
Hate Crimes	0	0	0

 

 

Crimes in Residence Halls
Classification	1998	1999	2000
Homicide/Non-Negligent	0	0	0
Manslaughter
Sex Offenses (forcible)	0	0	1*
Sex Offenses (Non-forcible)	0	0	0
Robbery	0	0	0
Aggravated Assault	0	0	0
Burglary	1	3	8
Automobile Theft	0	0	0
Arson	0	0	1
Negligent Manslaughter	0	0	0
Alcohol Violations	4	0	4
Illegal Drug Violations	0	0	1
Weapons Violations	1	0	0
Hate Crimes	0	0	0

 

Crimes at Non-Campus Buildings
Classification	1998	1999	2000
Homicide/Non-Negligent	0	0	0
Manslaughter
Sex Offenses (forcible)	0	0	0
Sex Offenses (Non-forcible)	0	0	0
Robbery	0	0	0
Aggravated Assault	0	0	0
Burglary	0	0	0
Automobile Theft	0	0	0
Arson	0	0	0
Negligent Manslaughter	0	0	0
Alcohol Violations	0	0	0
Illegal Drug Violations	0	0	0
Weapons Violations	0	0	0
Hate Crimes	0	0	0

 

Public Property Contiguous to the Campus
Classification	1998	1999	2000
Homicide/Non-Negligent	0	0	0
Manslaughter
Sex Offenses (forcible)	0	0	0
Sex Offenses (Non-forcible)	0	0	0
Robbery	0	0	0
Aggravated Assault	0	0	0
Burglary	0	0	0
Automobile Theft	0	0	0
Arson	0	0	0
Negligent Manslaughter	0	0	0
Alcohol Violations	0	0	0
Illegal Drug Violations	0	0	0
Weapons Violations	0	0	0
Hate Crimes	0	0	0

 

* This crime was not reported to the Public Safety Office until 2001.

Future Plans

Although we believe our low incidence of crime will continue, we do not want to give you a false sense of security. You need to know that crime will occur on campus. However, prevention can reduce criminal activity.

Westmont continues to increase its efforts to prevent crime. During the past few years, the college has dramatically improved the night lighting on footpaths and in parking lots. Also, Westmont has added additional patrol officers on the midnight shift to increase coverage of the residence hall areas.

You play a key role in efforts to prevent crime on campus. Be cautious, careful, and alert to reduce the risk of theft or incidents that might compromise your safety. Please use the guidelines for preventing crime listed in this pamphlet.

Crime Prevention

Westmont has implemented these measures to prevent crime. Some of these efforts include:

• 24-hour security patrols
• 911 emergency telephone system
• Security officers dispatched by radio and cell phone
• Burglary alarms in key areas
• Prompt re-keying of locks when keys have been lost
• Residence halls locked from midnight till 6am daily
  

Avoid Victimization

Here are a few quick tips for personal safety and property security.

1. Report suspicious people to Westmont Security extension 6222 or 565-6222.
2. Avoid getting into places where you are vulnerable and there are no exits.
3. Do not hesitate to call 911 or Westmont Security when strangers confront you.
4. Lock your office or residence hall room when you leave at night or when you are sleeping.
5. At night, walk in groups of at least two people or call extension 6222 or 565-6222 for an escort.
6. Walk only on lighted footpaths after dark.
7. When parking, remove valuables from plain view and lock our vehicle.
8. Record the serial numbers of your valuables.
9. Make a record of your credit card numbers and other valuables in your wallet.
10. Write your name and ID number in several places in your textbooks
11. Lock your bicycle in your room or a bicycle rack using a high quality, U-shaped lock.
12. Report all criminal incidents and losses to security immediately.