Duke rolls out more visible Central security presence

More security personnel and overtime pay for existing personnel are allowing for an expanded security presence on Central Campus.

Extra Duke University Police Department officers and security guards from AlliedBarton Security Services—a private security provider—have been patrolling Central Campus. In total, the number of guards and officers on Central Campus has roughly doubled. The tightening of security has come after the armed robbery of a student on Central Campus near the 1901 Erwin Road apartments Sept. 2— the third robbery on Central Campus in less than seven months. In addition, University officials have said that other measures are being taken to increase security on campus.

“About two years ago, we dramatically increased the physical presence of security, and that was a combination of police officers and security guards,” said Vice President of Administration Kyle Cavanaugh, who oversees hiring and employee placement around Duke. “It will be those resources which have been and will continue to be increased for the foreseeable future.”

The personnel increased two years ago in response to an armed robbery in the Duke Gardens.

Cavanaugh explained that the security improvements on Central Campus are composed of several factors.

“A lot of [the increase in personnel] will be achieved through overtime, so that we’re using some of the same resources,” Cavanaugh said. “Some of it will be through increased numbers, so it’s a balance between the two different levers which we’re able to pull.”

AlliedBarton Security Services and Duke University Police Department declined to comment about any changes in personnel. An AlliedBarton security guard on campus said that they were not allowed to comment about the changes.

Although Cavanaugh did not say whether the extra security personnel on Central are police officers or private security guards, he did explain that the increase in security on Central Campus does not involve moving security from other areas of campus.

“We’re never going to move people from one area to another to create a vulnerability,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s a delicate balance as we’re increasing the numbers and making sure we have complete coverage.”

In the first of this year’s Central Campus robberies in February, a student was robbed on the corner of Anderson and Lewis Streets. In July, a person—not a Duke student or employee—was robbed near the apartments on 301 Swift Ave.

Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said that high rate of robberies this year could represent a pattern.

“Sometimes these things come in waves,” he noted.

Crime on Duke campuses and in the wider Durham community is closely monitored throughout the year, not just when incidents affect people on Duke’s campuses, Cavanaugh explained.

“We’re paying attention not only to issues that happen on campus, but also constantly monitor issues that happen off-campus and the city at large,” he said. “Every time we have one of these [incidents] we’re doing a quick diagnosis to find out what else we can do to ensure the safety of our students and the entire Duke community.”

Dean for Residential Life Joe Gonzalez said that in the past several years, several additional projects have been undertaken by Housing, Dining and Residential Life to increase safety on Central Campus—including self-locking apartment doors and plant trimming around roads and footpaths. A light audit was also completed recently, and Gonzalez said that another one will happen following student comments.

“At the time [of the last audit], we didn’t think we needed more lighting,” Gonzalez said. “Several students have communicated to us that some areas need a review, so we’re scheduling another light audit for this weekend or next week.”

A lack of lighting can make Central seem more threatening at night, explained sophomore Aliza Makhani.

“The scariest thing about Central Campus at night is that it’s a little bit dark,” Makhani said. “I know that they installed lights under the bridge on Erwin Rd., and I think that was awesome and the biggest thing administration can do is install more lights.”

Sophomore Hazel Sanchez also commented on the quality of lighting, saying that orange light does not provide a lot of visibility at night. She also said that the increased visibility of security personnel, rather than the actual number of officers or security guards, has been comforting.

“I don’t think it’s the fact that there are more security personnel around, it’s the fact that they are much more visible,” Sanchez said. “They are in areas they need to be to make things more secure.”

Schoenfeld added that the University is implementing a number of other measures to increase security on Central Campus, not all of which are obvious.

“There are some things we’ll talk about because it’s important to have visible reminders,” he said. “There are other things that we’re just doing because they would be helpful in preventing crime, but they wouldn’t necessarily be things that we would talk about.”