Sinclair Police Chief Charles Gift describes Sinclair as a very safe place with the lowest crime rate out of any of the Dayton Police Department Central Police Divisions in Dayton.
“The mission of the Sinclair Community College Police Dept. is to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors,” Gift said.
“To do that, we use a community based policing model. Which means we try to prevent crimes from happening before they occur, which makes it much safer.”
There are 25 sworn police officers and 90 safety information officers. The police officers are certified and are authorized to take action. The safety information officers are not certified, but have radios to contact the police officers if action needs to be taken.
“We have 25 sworn police officers and approximately 90 safety information officers who are highly trained and whose main goal is to ensure the safety of everyone on the Dayton campus as well as the learning centers as well and the Courseview campus.” Gift said.
Gift said students shouldn’t leave property unattended, adding that majority of the crimes at Sinclair are “opportunity crimes,” which are crimes that a person wouldn’t normally commit unless they’re given the opportunity.
“If you feel that you’re about to have a problem or you’re afraid in any way, we have blue lights throughout the campus in which you just have to press the button and it automatically connects to the dispatcher,” Gift said.
The Police Department is fully-staffed and there is someone on campus at all times. At the beginning of their shifts, the officers are passed along information and then assigned to bike, foot or vehicle patrol. During their eight-hour shifts, they use a community-based model to perform their duties.