Virginia Western Community College
-Campus Police-
Annual Crime Report
2004
Virginia Western Community College
Police Department:
Virginia Western Community College has had its own police department since
1985. We currently have six full-time police officers and two part-time security
officers. All full-time officers are graduates of the Cardinal Criminal Justice
Academy. All full-time officers are sworn in through the City of Roanoke court
system with all the enforcement and arrest authority given any other police
department.
The VWCCPD conducts its own investigations of incidents that occur on the
campus.
All full-time officers are also certified medical First Responders.
The VWCCPD has mutual aid agreements with the Roanoke City PD and also
maintains communication with other agencies, including the Virginia State Police,
to ensure that if needed we can rely on effective and timely assistance in any
situation.
The VWCCPD's first priority is the safety of the college's students, visitors,
faculty and staff.
Mission and Goals of the Police Department
The Virginia Western Police Department is dedicated to providing protection of persons and property for the
college campus and adjacent or surrounding streets and properties. Services provided by our department include
law enforcement, medical (First Responder) aid, and fire prevention/response. These services will be provided
with professionalism and courtesy.
To accomplish these purposes, the employees and members of the department are dedicated to achieving the
following goals:
•
To identify criminal offenders and criminal activity and, when appropriate, to apprehend offenders and
participate in subsequent court proceedings.
•
To prevent the commission of crimes by reducing the opportunities for such crimes.
•
To create and maintain a feeling of safety and security within the college.
•
To facilitate the movement of people and vehicles.
•
To provide an environment that facilitates achieving department goals while providing for the career
needs of its employees.
•
To provide a vehicle for the provision of college service demands.
In addition to normal policing of the campus, the department is also equipped to assist motorists with jump-
starting dead batteries, and to open vehicles that have been locked with the keys inside.
Our department maintains the campus Lost-and-Found repository.
Items can be reported lost or claimed from the repository via our office in the College Services Building at
the end of parking lot #9 near the intersection of Colonial Ave and Overland Rd.
Reporting Crime to VWCCPD
There are Call Stations in several locations around campus, as well as in every elevator on campus. VWCCPD
is also accessible by telephone, via the Internet, and by coming in person to the VWCCPD office (College
Services Building room 101).
Emergency Call Station Locations:
1. On the wall outside the College Services Building
2. Between Webber Hall and the Student Activities Center; South Campus
3. In the middle of the Four Seasons mall; North Campus
All three Call Stations will dial the campus police directly, and all have blue lights on top that will flash when
the station is activated.
Elevator Call Buttons:
All of the elevators on campus have an Emergency Call button that will dial the campus police phone number,
and automatically let us know the location of the elevator.
Phone Numbers and Email:
Default/Emergency number: [540] 857-7979 (77979 from an office phone)
Sgt. Lennie Atwood
[540] 857-6479
(76479 from an office phone)
latwood@vw.vccs. edu
Officer David Blankenship
[540] 857-6479
(76479 from an office phone)
dblankenship@vw. vccs.edu
Officer Mark Bennardo
[540] 857-6479
(76479 from an office phone)
mbennardo@vw.vccs.edu
Officer Guy Gibson
[540] 857-6479
(76479 from an office phone)
ggibson@vw.vccs. edu
Officer Greg Roseberry
[540] 857-6479
(76479 from an office phone)
groseberry@vw.vccs.edu
VWCCPD Dispatcher
[540] 857-6108
(76108 from an office phone)
When reporting a crime/hazard/situation to VWCCPD, please be prepared to give the call taker specific
information regarding the nature of the emergency or complaint, including:
1. The location of the crime or emergency
2. How long ago it took place, or whether it is an imminent or ongoing offense
3. An estimate of the number of people involved (including descriptions)
4. Has an EMS unit or Roanoke City PD also been called?
Providing timely and accurate information can be essential to initiating a rapid and effective VWCCPD
response.
VWCCPD Online
The VWCC PD maintains pages hosted on the campus' web server. The site contains
information on safety, parking regulations, department contact numbers and methods,
VWCC-specific notices and other resources useful both on and off campus. The site
includes a form that will allow the user to rate our department and our officers. We
appreciate any and all input and will use the information to make our department even
better in the future. We are committed to continuously updating and upgrading our site in
order to serve its users in a meaningful, comprehensive fashion.
The site also includes an anonymous report form, which can be used to inform our
department of criminal activity without having to speak directly with an officer.
The URL for the form is: http://www.vw.vccs.edu/police/Pages/anonrprt.html
Submitting an anonymous report does not identify the sender to our department unless
s/he chooses to include a means of contacting him/her. Including contact information can
be valuable if someone were willing to be a witness in court or has evidence that needs to
be transferred in person. Including contact information is in no way required in order to
complete and send a report.
The submittal is stored in a secure section of the VWCC PD web site (only accessible by
authorized personnel) and the results are checked daily. After retrieving any stored data,
the submittal is removed from the server to further protect security and confidentiality.
The Webmaster of VWCC PD's pages is Officer David Blankenship and
comments/suggestions concerning the site can be emailed to: dblankenship@vw. vccs.edu
Preparing the Annual Disclosure of Campus Crime Statistics:
VWCCPD will compile and make available all statistics on crime that occurred on the VWCC campus during
the previous year.
We will also make every effort to obtain information concerning crime that occurred in the areas surrounding
VWCC property from the Roanoke City PD and other agencies in jurisdictions where VWCC has offices or
classes.
We will make the statistics and other pertinent information available to all current and prospective students
and employees, both online and in printed form upon request.
We will also submit the statistics to the DOE web site for publication in the DOE statistical archive.
We in the VWCC PD are in full agreement with the basic tenet of the Clery Act, which could be summed up
as: information on and about crime on (and around) our campus should be available to all of our current as well
as prospective students and faculty.
Our dispatch log and case log are both available for review in our department's office. Anyone may come to
our office and request to see the logs, for any reason.
Our office is located in the College Services Building room 101:
Criminal
Activity
2004
Hate Crime
2004
Homicides
0
Gender
0
Sex Offenses
0
Sexual
Orientation
0
Robbery
0
Ethnicity
0
Aggravated Assault
0
Disability
0
Burglary
0
Totals:
0
Theft From
Buildings
13
Larceny
1
Motor Vehicle
Theft
0
Vandalism
3
Arson
0
Liquor Law
Violations
5
Drug Law
Violations
0
Illegal Weapons
Possession
0
Totals:
22
Statistics:
On the Main Campus
(Colonial Ave, Roanoke)
The statistics include
incidents reported to the
VWCC PD as having
occurred on-campus. The
statistics reflect incidents
reported from January
2004 through December
2004.
VWCC PD also received
the following reports:
Intimidation: (5)
Harassment: (2)
Trespassing: (9)
FirstResponder/EMS: (47)
Missing Person: (2)
Violation of Protective
Order: (1)
Motor Vehicle Incidents:
Misc. Violations (8)
Accidents: (16)
Statistics:
Off-Campus Facilities (Includes Public Property)-
Jurisdiction
Criminal
Activity
Boutetourt Co.
Roanoke City
Craig Co.
Homicides
NR 0 NR
Sex Offenses
NR 0 NR
Robbery
NR 0 NR
Aggravated Assault
NR 0 NR
Burglary
NR 2 NR
Motor Vehicle Theft
NR 0 NR
Arson
NR 1 NR
Liquor Law Violations
NR 2 NR
Drug Law Violations
NR 0 NR
Weapons Violations
NR 0 NR
Larceny
NR 16 NR
Vandalism
NR 3 NR
Totals:
0
24
0
VWCC PD attempts to gather information from all jurisdictions in which the college
holds classes or has offices. Jurisdictions showing a numeric total of incidents have
reported those totals to our office; an entry of "NR" denotes a jurisdiction that did not
reply at all to our inquiries. Incidents reported do not necessarily indicate VWCC student
involvement; they are incidents that occurred in proximity to VWCC owned or leased
property.
Statistics:
Hate Crime (by jurisdiction)-
Jurisdiction
Hate Crime
Boutetourt Co.
Roanoke City
Craig Co.
Race
NR 0 NR
Gender
NR 0 NR
Religion
NR 0 NR
Sexual Orientation
NR 0 NR
Ethnicity
NR 0 NR
Disability
NR 0 NR
Totals:
0
0
0
VWCC PD attempts to gather information from all jurisdictions in which the college
holds classes or has offices. Jurisdictions showing a numeric total of incidents have
reported those totals to our office; an entry of "NR" denotes a jurisdiction that did not
reply at all to our inquiries. Incidents reported do not necessarily indicate VWCC student
involvement; they are incidents that occurred in proximity to VWCC property.
The hate crime statistics by jurisdiction include all incidents reported in or around areas
associated with VWCC (but not on the main campus, since those statistics are collected
and published separately), whether they occurred on public property or at off-campus
facilities.
In Virginia, it is a felony to assault another person based on the victim's race, ethnicity or
religion.
If convicted, the offender receives a mandatory 30-day prison sentence.
Community Resources
City of Roanoke:
Sexual Assault Response & Awareness (SARA)
(540) 345-7273
24-Hour Hotline: (540) 981-9352
Child and Adult Abuse Hotline
(540) 853-2245
TAP Women's Resource Center (Domestic Violence)
24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-915-8164
Alcoholics Anonymous
(540) 343-6857
Narcotics Anonymous
1-800-777-1515
State of Virginia:
To obtain brochures, etc:
Victims Services Section
Department of Criminal Justice Services
805 East Broad Street, 10th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 786-4000
Division of Crime Victims' Compensation:
Richmond = 367-8686
Toll-free statewide = 1-800-552-4007
Out-of-state = (804) 367-8686
Division of Crime Victims' Compensation
Post Office Box 5423
Richmond, VA 23220
Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault: (804) 979-9002
Virginians Against Domestic Violence: (757) 221-0990
Virginia Commission on Family Violence Prevention:
Family Violence and Sexual Abuse hotline = 1-800-838-8238
Child Abuse hotline = 1-800-552-7096
Elder and Disabled Adult Abuse hotline = 1-800-832-3858
National:
National Organization for Victim Assistance: (202) 232-6682
National Victim Center: 1-800-394-2255
National Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222
Crime and Safety Awareness Programs at
VWCC
Classes sponsored and/or hosted by Virginia Western include:
Defensive Driving
CPR
Self-Defense for Women
Intervention/Advocacy with Children
Emergency Medical Technology
Lifeguard Training
Safety Program Organization & Administration
College Survival Skills (classrooms are visited by an officer as a guest
speaker)
Contact the VWCC Admissions office (540) 857-7231 for course information.
Safety Publications
VWCC PD includes information, tips and bulletins concerning crime and safety issues on
the Police Department's web site. At events such as Spring Fling, Student Fun Day, and
other gatherings of students and faculty our department usually operates a table or display
area with crime and safety related material available to any persons wanting it.
When warranted, special notices are dispatched by way of campus mail or Email and via
bulletin boards throughout the campus.
Crime and safety brochures published by The Department of Criminal Justice Services
are available in the campus police office as well as in various locations/offices around the
VWCC campus (notably the Student Activities Center and the Counseling office).