DMACC security behind the scenes

BJBUNDY#2DMACC Ankeny Campus Security works to serve its community and the college campus. All of the campus security officers patrolling the area are searching for students and staff seeking assistance.

Campus security takes everything into consideration when it comes down to protecting and serving the students and keeping them safe. Campus security doesn’t pull cars over except during an emergency, such as vehicles dropping pieces of the car onto the roadway, and people hanging out of windows. Any traffic violations such as; speeding, not stopping at a marked stop sign, or using a turning lane to avoid proceeding over a speed bump will be noted and will be followed up through the student’s dean.

Lt. Terry Harrison said, “Last month, we had 47 tickets written for the Ankeny and Urban Campus. Last year we wrote 481 tickets, 676 vehicle unlocks and jump starts, escorted 370 people to and from their classes and vehicles.” All this information is combined with Ankeny and the Urban campuses, and is determined by the summarized monthly activity report. So statistically speaking they’re on a record setting pace to match or even surpass the amount of tickets given last year.

Becoming a campus security guard isn’t an easy task; it’s a long and tedious process. First, prospective persons must apply with the contract security company, which for DMACC campus security is a company named Securitas Security USA. Human resources then review the candidate’s resume, criminal history, driving record and other training. They forward eligible candidates to the manager and the site supervisor for second-level consideration. The Manager and supervisor interviews the candidate and if the interview goes well, the candidate is brought to the client for a meeting then a list of possible candidates are chosen or dismissed between the client, manager, and supervisor.

There aren’t too many exciting experiences that occur on campus, but the following situations really caught Lt. Terry Harrison and Ned Millers eyes.

Harrison and Executive Director of the Physical Plant Ned Miller both agreed and said, “My most memorable situation was the simulated heart attack that happened on the Ankeny campus.”

The training scenario took place on July 29th, 2013. It was located on the roof of Building 1 on the Ankeny Campus. Officer Kyle Donahue, White’s Construction Company, Ankeny Fire Department and Executive Director of the Physical Plant Ned Miller were involved. The worker that pretended to be having the heart attack and his supervisor along with the Ankeny Fire Department were the only ones that knew it was a training exercise. The respondents passed with flying colors, and it shows that Officer Kyle Donahue knew what he was doing and completed the scenario in the exact manor that would be expected from a real life situation.

Harrison also added that he had experienced during the summer of 2013, a student called and asked Security to catch and remove a coyote that was around near the lake. The complaint was they were afraid that the coyote was going to attack children and students near the bike path. It ended up being that the coyote was more interested in catching birds for his dinner, which were drawn, near the areas where the dirt was plowed. Eventually the coyote left two weeks later, and no one was harmed.

Another incident that occurred that was abnormal was two years ago; the campus security had multiple calls for a couple of dogs in which one was a husky. They were running all over the campus and security spent two hours trying to catch them. A student finally let out a helping hand and caught the husky by feeding it her sandwich.

Harrison stated, “We were very appreciative for her assistance and resourcefulness. Since she had lost her lunch due to helping us out, I bought her lunch at the cafe and made her an honorary K-9 Officer for the day.”

Many may not even know how to contact Campus Security so we’ve listed the quickest way to contact them below.

If you’re ever in need of assistance, whether it be at the Ankeny campus or the Urban campus they are always there to assist you in anyway possible.

To contact the Ankeny campus security, dial 515-964-6500 or email them at Security@dmacc.edu or you can contact the campus supervisor at tsharrison@dmacc.edu. To contact the Urban Campus, dial 515-248-7800 or email them at urbansecurity@dmacc.edu. Please remember to provide as much in depth detail about your situation to Campus Security it will bring out a more satisfactory ending for the both of you.

Please be kind and courteous to the Campus Security they work tirelessly to serve and protect you in anyway possible. A simple wave or smile would be enough to make their day and job experiences better.

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