Acting Police Chief Robert Sanchez said one of the worst things in a dangerous situation is for a citizen to call the police and not get through. It is happening with increased regularity at Southwestern College, but Sanchez insists things are about to change.

A new emergency line is up and designated for emergency calls only. Sanchez said he wants students, faculty and staff to treat the (619) 216-6691 number as if they were dialing 911.

Sanchez spearheaded the idea that has been in the making since April. Bob Temple, former interim vice president of business and financial affairs, and Denise Whittaker, former acting superintendent supported the idea. Grace David, SWC Police clerical assistant, said the new line will improve campus safety.

“The emergency line will be beneficial because when you take that time away, every second counts,” she said. “In terms of getting things stream lined faster to dispatch, it really helps.”

The existing SWCPD phone number will continue be used as a non-emergency informational line.Sanchez said the new line is in the best interest of the campus.

“We take safety very seriously,” said Sanchez. “If it’s not safe on campus our students won’t come, they’ll find somewhere else to go. My intent is to try to make things more efficient for the police department and to make our response quicker to the college community when reporting emergencies. The end result is safety on campus.”

Due to the high volume of incoming calls, SWCPD emergency calls are not able to get through to a dispatcher quickly. Of the 18,000 calls received each year, about 12,000 are emergencies, said Sanchez.

SWCPD has a list of safety tips, including using the buddy system when walking through parking lots at night. SWCPD officers are on duty until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and offer students escorts to their cars. Students, staff and faculty are also reminded never to walk in dark or isolated areas of the campus.

Officers encourage students to be aware of their surroundings and to call the campus police when suspicious activity is seen.

When walking through the parking lot, have keys in hand and once inside the car lock the doors immediately, said Sanchez. Students who feel threatened are encouraged to run, scream or yell for help.

Campus police also take traffic safety seriously, said Public Safety Assistant Martin Nuñez.

“Running a stop sign on a city street, there’s not that much pedestrian traffic,” he said. “Here it is non-stop, so it’s more important here than anywhere else. It’s posing a threat to a large amount of students and can lead to accidents.”

Sanchez said all California traffic laws apply just as they would on city streets. Students pulled over should listen to the officer and not argue as it may only increase the tension in an already stressful situation and lead to other charges.

Sanchez said it is a bad idea that only the Chula Vista campus is patrolled by campus police. Higher Education Centers at Otay Mesa, National City and San Ysidro are patrolled periodically by city police and campus security. Sanchez said this is not acceptable.

“It’s incredulous that the district would be willing to gamble like that and leave those sites unprotected and uncovered with no police presence,” he said. “Crime knows no boundaries. We get calls telling us there are problems at these HEC but we cannot take any proactive enforcement because I don’t have officers or enough funding.”

Sanchez said he hopes for help from the institutional advancement office and grant writers to purchase more patrol cars and equipment for the HECs.