(Photo courtesy of COCC)
Dear COCC friends and neighbors, I wanted to share with you the facts about our Campus Public Safety program. First and foremost, please know that we are absolutely committed to the safety of our campus communities and to working with local law enforcement teams in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond.
In light of recent misleading public comments about our Campus Public Safety program, including the omission of important facts, the board of directors wants you to know about COCC’s ongoing efforts to enhance campus safety. It is the College’s long-standing practice and commitment to work in partnership with local law enforcement and continuously look to their expertise and guidance.
Over the past several years, COCC has proactively initiated ongoing dialogue with the Bend Police Department. Unfortunately, these efforts have been misrepresented to the public, and most recently, to the Oregon legislature. We believe it is time to speak up and tell the rest of the story for our students, faculty, staff and communities.
COCC has taken many steps to strengthen relationships with local law enforcement, including voluntarily entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Bend in 2017. The MOU calls for “open communication, mutual respect and a commitment to fair and equitable collaboration.” COCC has worked transparently and in good faith to uphold the MOU.
The College has taken decisive action on a number of changes including those suggested by community partners at Bend Police Department. These policy changes include:
- The campus patrol vehicle that was equipped with a partition between the front and back seat is no longer in use (July 2016).
- Campus Public Safety Officers instructed not to:
- make private persons arrests (January 2017);
- carry handcuffs (January 2017); or
- initiate vehicle stops (June 2018).
- Campus Public Safety Officers began wearing new uniforms purchased by the College after consultation with and approval from the Bend Police Department and the Deschutes County District Attorney (September 2017).
- Campus patrol vehicles have been redesigned to include the COCC mascot and other college branding (September 2017).
- Campus patrol vehicles are no longer equipped with blue lights (September 2017)
- A Campus Safety Work Group – which included Bend Police Chief Jim Porter – was created by the College and has made recommendations for enhancing our campus communities (October 2018).
- All push bars have been removed from campus patrol vehicles (January – March 2019).
- We are currently working with the Bend Police Department to explore adding a College Resource Officer.
In addition, we continue our long-standing practice of Campus Public Safety Officers receiving up to 400 hours of initial in-house training, with many also attending an 80-hour basic campus law enforcement officer academy, provided by professional associations. All officers are also trained in CPR, AED and First Aid and most COCC officers are Crisis Intervention Team trained. Several of our officers are also trained in Opiate Overdose Response and three officers are FEMA Certified trainers. Along with College background checks, all officers must be certified by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training program which requires a personal history statement and fingerprint/criminal history check.
Protecting the campus communities we serve requires a delicate balance between creating an open and inviting environment and providing safety and security against growing threats. On October 1, 2015, our neighboring Umpqua Community College in Roseburg experienced the deadliest mass shooting in Oregon’s modern history. Eight students and an assistant professor lost their lives and eight more students were injured. We are, and we must be, proactive in seeking out ways to improve campus safety. That’s why we monitor best practices at colleges nationwide and work closely with the Oregon College and University Public Safety Administrators Association to enhance safety practices.
As we have detailed, COCC has made diligent and successful efforts to cooperate with local law enforcement and will continue to do so. We also recognize there is still work to be done and we know we cannot do it without trusted support and transparency from our local law enforcement partners.
As Oregon’s oldest two-year community college, COCC has a 70-year legacy of improving the lives of students and the face of Central Oregon for the better every day. We take our responsibility for campus safety seriously. We are always working to enhance programs and systems to provide students, faculty, visitors, neighbors and the larger community with a safe and welcoming environment. We know that safety is key to creating a learning environment that promotes success.
We are proud to do this work in support of our hard-working and determined students, faculty and staff who help make the learning and teaching environment at COCC second to none.
