College Relations

Salem, Mass. - The Office of Public Safety at Salem State College has recently joined two statewide programs aimed at reducing the number of crimes and bias-related incidents on campus. In November, it was announced that the department had qualified as the first state college to attain membership in the Massachusetts Campus Watch Program. Last week, SSC joined Harvard University as the only two institutions of higher learning to participate with 175 police departments statewide in an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sponsored effort to fight hate crimes.

The new "Blue Eye" signs recently installed around campus are an alert to would be criminals that SSC is now a member of the Massachusetts Campus Watch Program. The program, instituted under the auspices of the Massachusetts Neighborhood Crime Watch Commission and sponsored by the Department of Housing and Community Development, supports new and existing campus crime prevention activities coordinated by campus police. The Campus Watch Program is designed to strengthen existing community policing and crime prevention programming throughout the Commonwealth.

"Students, residence life personnel,Michael and Blue Eye and staff are taught how to identify and report suspicious behavior witnessed on or around campus," reports SSC Detective Michael W. Haggstrom. "Promoting communication between the campus community and campus police is the key ingredient to the program."

The signs with the familiar "Blue Eye" logo, already in place in many local neighborhoods, display the Salem State emergency number for a rapid response to any reported crime or suspicious activity. The additional eyes and ears of the campus and surrounding community will greatly enhance the effectiveness of campus and local law enforcement.

The ADL sponsored program provides police officers with important information for responding to hate crimes, working with victims, and pursuing perpetrators. Included are specifics on defining a hate crime, questions responding officers should ask, and tips for recognizing signs of organized hate groups. This program is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association; the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes, and the Executive Office of Public Safety.

"We have been selected to participate with 175 other departments because of the aggressive nature in which these incidences are investigated," said SSC Chief Brian Pray. ADL's New England Regional Executive Director Robert Leikind added, "When hate crimes happen, they hurt whole communities... it is exciting to see so many police departments preparing their officers to respond effectively."