ODU AND COMMUNITY SECURITY TASK FORCE ISSUE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Old Dominion University Security Task Force established in December 2003 with the neighboring communities Highland Park, Lamberts Point and Larchmont will issue its recommendations for the university and community in the coming weeks. The task force's recommendations were based on data collected and research conducted over the last year.
The Rev. Anthony Paige of the First Baptist Church of Lamberts Point and Robert L. Fenning, vice president for administration and finance at Old Dominion, co-chaired the group, and Cecelia T. Tucker, assistant to the president for community relations, served as secretary.
Other members included neighborhood civic league presidents Dale Ryder, Ellen Harvey and David O'Dell; neighborhood landlords John Warner and Thanos Polizos; and Old Dominion representatives Dana Burnett, vice president for student services, Interim Police Chief William Quinn and selected faculty members and students. Additionally, Larry Curtis, vice president for student affairs at Norfolk State University, and Quintin Bullock, provost of Tidewater Community College's Norfolk campus, participated.
Many of the task force's recommendations stressed the importance of communication with students living in area neighborhoods, improvement to city infrastructure and landlord and personal responsibility.
"Part of urban living is keep your doors and windows locked, having emergency phone numbers handy and participating in neighborhood watches," said Fenning. "We are expanding our crime prevention and security messages to encourage students to be proactive and aware of their environment while stressing the importance of personal responsibility," said Quinn. The department will also increase the number staffers in the escort service, which is available for all students, faculty and staff from 5:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. everyday by calling 683-3477.
As the university's footprint continues to grow with student apartments, restaurants, a fitness center and more in the University Village, seven new officers, three police officers and four security officers, will be added to ODU's current force.
"The security officers will do chores like opening and locking down buildings, so that more police officers will be available to patrol the growing campus," said Quinn. Currently, Old Dominion's 36 police officers, security officers and communications dispatchers provide 24-hour patrolling, policing and security services and emergency response for the university campus and assist the Norfolk Police Department through a concurrent jurisdiction agreement for a one-square-mile area encompassing portions of the surrounding neighborhoods.