LUPD Enhancing Safety on Campus

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Friday, June 17, 2016

If you’ve stopped by Human Resources lately, you may know that all visitors must now be buzzed into the building by a front office staff member. We checked in with LUPD Chief Ed Shupp to talk about the new security protocols at HR and elsewhere on campus.

 

(It was also a good excuse for a tour of the new LUPD facility; we’ll get to that in a minute.)

 

Chief Shupp says HR is one of a number of offices that were recently outfitted with a system of magnetic locks, intercoms and cameras. “We noted that the offices that are on the border of campus on Brodhead and Packer Avenues got a lot of walk-in visitors,” he said. “Many were people touring Bethlehem who didn’t have an appointment or any business with the offices they walked into.”

 

In some cases, offices are staffed by only one or two employees who might be located on a different floor or far from the front door of the building. “Our goal is to ensure that our employees feel secure in their work environment,” Chief noted. “We’re always looking at ways to enhance safety.”

 

In addition to the offices in the campus border areas, most academic buildings have also had security upgrades. Visitors to those buildings after class hours will find the doors locked. Lehigh employees and students with authorization to enter after hours are given access via the magnetic strip on their ID cards.

 

While it may take you longer to enter a building as a result of these changes, Chief Shupp thinks the trade off is fair. “It’s a minor inconvenience,” he said. “This is for everyone’s safety.”

 

Eyes on South Bethlehem

 

LUPD’s resources have vastly increased in the past several years in the area of video surveillance. While you might not notice, when you are on Lehigh’s campuses or nearby in the South Bethlehem neighborhood, you are in an area that is being monitored by the Lehigh Police via cameras mounted in numerous locations. These include faculty and staff parking lots among many other spots.

Chief Shupp demonstrates a new piece of equipment that greatly enhances the LUPD's capability to identify fingerprints on evidence.

 

Chief Shupp estimates that LUPD now watches approximately 130 locations remotely. The system is also tied into the Bethlehem Police Department so the departments can coordinate their efforts.

 

 

LUPD’s New Home

 

This spring, the Lehigh’s police force moved into a brand new building at the corner of Packer Avenue and Polk Street (across the street from Zoellner Arts Center). This state-of-the-art facility is a major upgrade from the department’s former home and provides a link between campus and South Bethlehem that will help continue its community building efforts.

 

 

The building includes an improved evidence holding room, enhanced investigative tools, and a secure impound garage for vehicles.  From top to bottom, the new headquarters will help the LUPD build on their reputation and accreditation.

 

The good news is that the department’s efforts are paying off. Campus crime has decreased every year for the last six years, representing an overall reduction of 36 percent.