Creighton University

Office of the VP Administration and Finance

Public Safety

• Home
• Personal Safety
• Sexual Assault Prevention
• Emergency Phones
• Emergency Procedures
• Tornado Shelters
• Parking Information
• Campus Parking Map
• Parking Ticket Appeals
• Shuttle Buses
• Campus Security Report
  • Campus Security Report, West Omaha Campus
  • Harassment and Discrimination Policies and Procedures
• Campus Maps

Campus Security Report

Creighton University is a small, coeducational, independent college operated by the Jesuits. With a student enrollment of 6,994 taught by a full-time faculty of 667, Creighton is unusually diverse in its curriculum and degree programs. The campus is comprised of 59 buildings situated on approximately 108 acres along the northwest edge of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The University's campus is near, yet set apart from, the city's urban center. The Omaha metropolitan area is a midwestern community with a population of 775,000.

TOP

In November 1990 federal legislation was enacted requiring virtually all postsecondary institutions to publish a formal security report delineating specific campus crime statistics, policies and procedures. The intent of the Campus Security or Clery Act is to help make college campuses safer through the disclosure of such information, and to assist applicants in making enrollment or employment decisions based upon that criteria.

At Creighton University the safety and well-being of our students, staff and faculty are always primary considerations. We realize that college campuses are not isolated from criminal activity, and we recognize the need to share that information with all members of the campus community. Indeed, our best hopes for achieving a truly safe campus environment hinge on the collaborative efforts of an enlightened community. Please read this brochure carefully and use the information to help maintain a secure environment for yourself and others on campus.

Rick McAuliffe
Director of Public Safety

TOP

The Department of Public Safety, which reports to the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, is responsible for campus safety and security at Creighton. The department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its headquarters is located at 2204 Burt Street. Public Safety is a private security force with 22 uniformed, armed personnel who receive a variety of specialized training that includes first-aid, CPR and the use of firearms. Total full-time staff consists of the director, four supervisors, a crime prevention officer, 17 patrol officers, three full-time dispatchers, three part-time dispatchers, an administrative assistant and clerical support. The department is service-oriented and maintains a close working relationship with municipal, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

TOP

Public Safety maintains that the more effective strategy is to prevent rather than solve crimes. To that end, the department devotes a significant portion of its resources to crime prevention:

• Officers patrol the campus on foot, on bicycles and in vehicles 24 hours a day. Always on the alert for potential problems, officers provide a first line of defense with an intercept capability and a visible deterrence.
• A campus shuttle service provides students and University employees with safe and convenient transportation to most sites on campus up to 18 hours a day. Two buses, the east shuttle and the west shuttle, run concurrently to link all corners of the campus with most destinations in between. A third bus shuttles employees between Creighton University Medical Center and the 30th Street parking lot. Another shuttle provides service to commuters parking along the Burt Street Corridor. Shuttle Bus drivers remain in contact with Public Safety personnel to provide extra "eyes and ears" while they are on their routes, reporting any suspicious activity.
• A pedestrian escort service is available to all campus members upon request. Public Safety officers or student employees will accompany pedestrians to their residence halls, parked cars, or other campus destinations. Department personnel respond to escort requests any time someone is apprehensive about walking alone.
• Blue light emergency phones are located strategically throughout the campus, particularly in parking lots. They enable one to activate a single emergency button on the phone panel to be in instant contact with the Public Safety dispatcher. The dispatcher simultaneously receives a signal indicating the location of the caller. These phones also feature a standard keypad that allows them to be used for routine campus phone calls.
• Given the relatively open environment that characterizes college campuses today, everyone must become actively involved in the security process. To support this, a full-time Crime Prevention Officer makes presentations and develops programs designed to inform campus members about the threat of crime and the prevention resources available to them. These efforts are intended to encourage students and employees to think and act in terms of crime prevention and assume a considerable degree of responsibility for personal safety and the security of property.
• These educational efforts include new student and employee orientation programs, crime prevention presentations, property identification programs, RAD Training, bike security programs, along with pamphlets, brochures, posters or other support materials. Programs and presentations are scheduled annually, and are also available upon request.
• Student Services' Peer Education Office is a resource center for students. The department uses awareness teams to provide students with guidance, information and training on relationships, mental health, alcohol, drugs, sexual assault, and body image. Presentations are scheduled upon request.
• Electronic card access systems are employed in a number of buildings on campus: the Administration, Humanities, Communication Arts and Lied Center Buildings, the Law School, Eppley, Rigge, Hixson-Lied, Alumni Library, Boyne Building, Criss II and III, the Cardiac Center, the Old Gym, and the Center for Health Policy and Ethics, Kenefick, Heider, McGloin, Davis Square, Opus Square, Deglman, Swanson, Kiewit and Gallagher Residence Halls and the 20th and 24th Street parking garages also utilize card access. These electronic access systems afford an extra measure of security in their flexibility and control.
• Maintenance and security of campus facilities are top priorities. The Maintenance staff attends to University buildings and grounds with a concern for safety and security. Shrubbery, trees and other vegetation on campus are trimmed on a routine basis. Upon the discovery of irregular conditions such as broken windows, faulty locks, burned out lights or other hazards, Public Safety officers, Student Services staff or any other members of the University may notify the Maintenance Department. The staff responds promptly to make repairs affecting safety and security.
• A number of closed-circuit television surveillance cameras have been installed at selected sites on campus to passively monitor activity in these areas and serve as visible deterrents to crime.
• Crime alerts are made to the campus community when serious crimes occur that are considered to pose a continuous threat to the student or employee population. When conditions warrant, information is disseminated through flyers, bulletin board postings, personal notification, announcements in the "Blue News" and The Creightonian or universal email. Information that would warrant a timely warning to the community can be reported to Public Safety officers, supervisors, or the director at x2104, 24 hours a day.

TOP

At Creighton University, the Student Services Division houses 2,350 students in nine residence halls: Deglman, Swanson, Kiewit, Gallagher, Heider, McGloin, Opus Square, Davis Square, and Kenefick Hall. One of the residence halls, Deglman, is reserved exclusively for women students, while all others are coed. The Student Services Division makes available a wide variety of programs and services to enhance the quality of campus life and promote safe and secure on-campus accommodations. Residence halls are staffed by professional, live-in Resident Directors (RD's). Each facility is also served by a number of live-in Resident Advisors (RA's). At least one professional staff member is on duty at all times, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The President of the University resides in one of the residence halls, and each hall except Opus and Davis is served by a live-in Jesuit Chaplain.

Individual security measures for the nine residence halls differ slightly, but most utilize RA's or trained desk workers at the main entrance to monitor access and provide assistance 24 hours per day. All residence halls utilize electronic card access systems. Residence hall rooms are keyed with a high security lock system using keys that cannot be easily duplicated. Tight key control procedures enhance the integrity of this system. For additional, detailed information on visitation and other residential policies, please refer to the Residence Life Handbook.

TOP

In compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989, the University publishes and distributes a copy of University policy along with federal, state and local laws that regulate the possession, use and sale of alcohol and drugs. This information is mailed out to every registered student two times a year, and to all employees annually.

TOP

The possession or use of firearms, fireworks, explosives or any lethal weapon on campus is strictly forbidden and subject to University discipline as well as criminal sanctions. Public Safety maintains a weapons locker for the safe storage of hunting equipment and firearms.

TOP

A crime can be reported by contacting Public Safety at extension 2911 (emergencies) or extension 2104 (non-emergencies). Many campus phones have decals affixed with the Public Safety phone numbers already on them. The Public Safety phone numbers are also listed in all campus directories, and the emergency phones on campus use an autodialer to reach the Public Safety office. Campus Emergency Procedure Notices with appropriate phone numbers and emergency instructions have been distributed throughout the University and are available upon request.

Victims are encouraged to report all incidents to Public Safety regardless of how insignificant the crime might be. Officers respond quickly any time of the day or night to meet the victim, take a report, investigate the incident and provide assistance. The municipal police will typically be contacted for crimes of a more serious nature. A significant network of University and external support services is available to all victims.

Although there is no formal policy governing the anonymous reporting of crimes for inclusion in the annual disclosure of campus crime statistics, every effort will be made to protect the confidentiality of victims and witnesses should they so desire. Similarly, there is no formal policy for pastoral or professional counselors to inform the people they are counseling of the existence of such procedures.

TOP

The University owns or controls a number of properties, buildings and classrooms remote from the main campus in support of its educational mission. The School of Nursing operates a distance learning program with "satellite" classrooms at Mary Lanning Hospital in Hastings. The School of Pharmacy and Health Professions also operates a Distance Web Assisted Doctoral Program for 300 Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy students. Other facilities include the Creighton Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa, and a number of medical clinics scattered throughout the City of Omaha. The Public Safety Department does not patrol or provide any direct services to these "off-campus" facilities or monitor the criminal activity that occurs there. Crimes occurring at these locations should be reported to the appropriate municipal or county police agencies.

Such is the case with sorority and fraternity houses, which are all located off campus. The University does not own or operate, and Public Safety does not provide direct security services for these properties, receive crime reports, or maintain statistics on any criminal activity that occurs there. This information is typically maintained at the municipal law enforcement level, but will be included in the campus statistical report when available.

Contiguous to the main campus is the Creighton University Medical Center. Approximately 350 University personnel work in this facility which provides its own proprietary security. The Public Safety Department does not provide routine security services at this site, receive crime reports, or maintain statistics of criminal activity that occurs there. Information on hospital crime statistics and security practices can be obtained by contacting Creighton University Medical Center Security at 449-4090.

TOP

Note: The annual Campus Security Report is prepared by the Director of Public Safety with input from other campus authorities. If you have questions concerning this report of the safety conditions at Creighton, you are encouraged to contact the Public Safety Department for additional details.