Case Study: Cleveland State Implements Its Master Plan
Cleveland State University adopted an integrated security, life safety and infrastructure solution to tie together all of its systems.
As a result of the newly installed system, Buc
kingham is noticing that his department is able to obtain images of more suspects. In a number of cases, his officers have been able to link those images with other crimes.
Access System Supports Police Patrols
Monitoring access control and responding to issues is also easier because it can be done remotely. No longer must a police officer always go to the location in question.
“We had these capabilities with the old systems, but they were different from system to system and facility to facility,” says Buckingham. “Some were more advanced than others.”
Additionally, the new access control features allow campus administrators to shut down parts of the campus during off hours. Because the campus buildings are linked via interior walkways, previously if a person entered one building, he or she would have access to all of the buildings.
Much of the success of the new system, however, can’t really be quantified.
“It’s difficult to measure a crime not occurring, but we are a remarkably safe campus with relatively little crime compared to what you would expect on a normal urban campus,” says Boyle. “I think a lot of that is attributed to the fact that we can supplement a relatively small group of police officers with a very robust system of electronic surveillance, monitoring and access control.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Think Big
Of course, with the installation of a system as large as CSU’s, there are bound to be some bumps in the road.
“We had a false start in one building with one kind of system that we ended up not using,” says Boyle. “We had to redo some of the wiring because we changed our minds halfway through the process. The decision path on the first new building left something to be desired.”
Boyle recommends that when embarking on an upgrade like CSU’s, it is best to work out the system in advance and then stick to the plan. This was achieved via the campus’ $200 million master plan, which is helping to change the face of both CSU and downtown Cleveland.
Another tip? Go big at the beginning and then scale back when appropriate.
“Design the maximum and then work backward to what you can actually afford,” says Boyle. “Peel off pieces rather than saying, ‘What’s the minimum I can do for X amount of dollars?’ You’d be surprised at how much extra you can do for a relatively small amount of extra funds.”
Campus at a Glance
The main campus of Cleveland State University (CSU) is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and is comprised of 85 acres with 40 buildings used for teaching, research, housing administration and recreation. New or renovated facilities include a recreation center, apartment-style student housing, a restaurant, administration center and a college of graduate studies building. It also has one of the largest entertainment complexes in Cleveland, the Wolstein Center, which seats approximately 13,000. Approximately 18,000 students attend the school.
CSU’s police department has 22 sworn and armed officers. It also has 11 full-time and six part-time unarmed security officers.
CSU’s satellite campuses are located in Westlake and Solon.
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Examples of CSU’s Scripted Responses
A supervisory signal indicates and Automated External Defibrillator’s (AED) cabinet is being opened.
Response: Has dispatch been notified of a scheduled service or that a device is being removed or returned? If yes, signal can be resolved by noting that person’s name in the call record. If no, notify university police for dispatch to the location to ascertain the reason for the signal and be prepared to call EMS.
A supervisory signal indicates that a critical infrastructure needs attention.
Response: If dispatch has not been notified of a scheduled service, notify the engineer on duty and relay the signal. Note the time and name of the engineer in the call record.
System Also Manages Critical Infrastructure
Preventing Crime is only one benefit of the new installation. Maintenance and critical infrastructure management are other important components of the new system that CSU Vice President of Business Affairs and Finance Jack Boyle appreciates.
“At the end of the month, we have a wealth of data that tells us what things don’t work right, what we need to be aware of, where there are doors that don’t close or lock, and what needs to be repaired,” he says.
CSU monitors its critical infrastructure and equipment, such as its generators, through Continuum using BACnet, which is a communications protocol for building automation and control networks. The campus also publishes key reports on findings such as date of last signal, which helps personnel identify any system failures.
Bernard L. Buckner is CSU’s executive director for campus safety.
Robin Hattersley Gray is Campus Safety magazine’s executive editor.
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