If you get weak at the knees at the thought of built and buff security guards or women in uniform, you’ll be dazzled by Campus Security’s new garb. The snazzy new uniforms were introduced due to a concern from the Calgary Police Service.
“Our existing outerwear makes us look too much like police officers, particularly from a distance,” said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.
“We have a bright gold yolk on the shoulders [on a navy blue uniform] that will allow us to be a lot more visible on campus, which is a good thing.”
During January, the cold spell in Calgary caused the fire suppression sprinkler system in Health Sciences to burst resulting in several thousand dollars in damage. A major power outage on a Friday evening required the evacuation of MacEwan Hall, including the Den. Also, plainclothes patroled in the men’s locker room in Kinesiology.
“This patrol was a result of several recent locker break-ins,” explained Fritz.
One of the officers on patrol observed a known trespasser for some time who was then arrested and charged.
“We learned through this investigation that he was responsible for numerous thefts in the Kinesiology locker rooms last year and was still facing the courts for those particular charges. He was also responsible for numerous thefts nine years ago in Kinesiology,” said Fritz.
Although January is generally a quiet month for Campus Security, things were still buzzing.
“We still had 3,212 phone calls that came into our dispatch area,” said Frotz. “We found 341 doors left insecure. We had 141 Safewalk escorts throughout the month and issued 2,237 student ID cards.”