Beefed-up security measures highlight busy month for UMMC PD

Published on Monday, October 7, 2024

By: Danny Barrett, dlbarrett@umc.edu

Photos By: Melanie Thortis/ UMMC Communications

The UMMC Police and Public Safety Department installed a few extra pairs of electronic eyes in some of the newest police vehicles on campus in September, rounding out a month focused on increased safety and security.

The department added in-car cameras to the headliners and windshields of its patrol SUVs and K9 vehicle. Adding more technology to the department’s newest vehicles gives yet another angle to response calls and helps the agency comply with new laws asking agencies to report incidents more efficiently.

“The in-car cameras will provide real-time video evidence when responding to calls,” Chief Mary Paradis said. “They fully integrate with our officers’ body-cameras, allowing for seamless recording of incidents that can then be reviewed by officers right in the patrol car.”

Officers also stepped up patrols in locations where the student and employee presence is most concentrated. The agency prioritized visibility in the parking lot at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium during peak traffic times. That priority is expected to last at least through the fall semester.

Dr. Joshua Mann, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine, has collaborated with campus police on UMMC’s workplace violence prevention efforts the past several years and is among the hundreds of employees and students who park daily in the stadium lot.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with all the work they’ve done to elevate the breadth of police service on UMMC’s campus,” Mann said. “And as someone who parks in the stadium lot every day, I’m especially appreciative of these efforts to make sure we’re all safe getting onto and off of campus every day.”

Morning commuters alongside Mann say it’s a team approach that also extends to employees at large.

“Personally, I feel safe on this campus and in the stadium,” said Nikki Hays, program coordinator in Student and Employee Health. “I appreciate the extra lighting, fleet presences, foot and bicycle patrols and on-board cameras. When I’ve called upon campus police, they’ve always answered. I urge all my colleagues if you see something, say something.”

Separately, UMMC Police recently released their annual security report for 2023, produced in compliance with the federal Jeanne Clery Act. This report includes important safety information as well as Clery reportable crimes that occurred on campus during the year.

On the state level, the department in September became compliant with a mandate passed by lawmakers in 2023 ordering all law enforcement agencies in the state to be certified by the end of 2025 in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The system was established in 2021 by the FBI as the national standard for crime data in the U.S.

“Obtaining NIBRS certification for our department allows us to be more detail-oriented in our police reports, identify crime trends quicker and ultimately serve our UMMC community better,” Paradis said. “We are thrilled to be certified well in advance of the 2025 legislative deadline.”