The Sinclair Police Department has recently released its Annual Campus Safety report detailing crimes and statistics on campus.
Each year, colleges and universities must release information about crime on or near their campus if they receive federal financial aid programs. Compliance with the act is monitored by the United States Department of Education.
Chief Charles Gift has held his position with Sinclair Police Department for nearly eight years after many years of experience in the police force. He is in charge of making sure the annual campus safety report gets completed each year on time.
“The report itself talks about all the safety measures that are on campus,” Gift said. “They include telling how many officers are in the department, and it talks about how to report crime. It talks about blue lights and where they’re located on campus, and how to report an emergency. There’s about 99 different topics that have to be covered in the Clery report.”
Although theft continues to be a recurring problem on campus, according to Chief Gift, Sinclair has a very safe campus.
“Sinclair is the safest location in the city of Dayton,” Gift said. “It has the lowest crime rate in this area. In fact, the central police operating district is where Sinclair is located. It has the lowest crime in the city, and Sinclair has the lowest crime within the central police operating district.”
Some Sinclair Police Safety Tips that students can follow to protect themselves are:
Never leave property unattended.
If jewelry is removed to wash hands, remember to pick them up before leaving.
Book thefts are big on campus and can be avoided by simply being aware of surroundings and paying attention. Students can also mark their textbooks on a page number distinctive to them in case a dispute should occur.
There are also safety escorts available 24 hours a day to anyone on campus going to class or to their vehicles that can be arranged by calling campus police at (937) 512-2700.
“The Sinclair Police takes the safety of the students, faculty, staff and visitors very seriously,” Gift said. “The officers are consistently vigilant to ensure everyone’s safety, but it’s also the student’s responsibility for their own safety.
Gift said don’t hesitate to call Sinclair police so they can come check out the area.
“If students see something out of the ordinary or unusual happen, they need to call Sinclair police so that we can come and check it out. You’re really responsible for the safety of the other students too. Basically if you see something, say something,” Gift said.
If you want to report an incident or a crime contact campus police at (937) 512-2700 or report information through the Safety Tip and Information Line through the Sinclair Police website at police.sinclair.edu.