Hi, I'm Beth Kropf, the SGA President at Gannon University. Welcome to Gannon's campus. Today, I'm here to help assure you that safety is a top priority here again, and to talk about the variety of resources available on campus. Gannon police and safety is made up of police officers, dispatchers, and administrators. The Gannon Police Department consists of 13 full-time police officers and has arrest powers on- and off-campus in their jurisdiction of the Our West Bayfront neighborhood.

All of our officers are armed and received the same training as the Erie Police Department. Officers patrol on foot, in vehicles, and on bicycles. All of our officers are first aid certified and carry AEDs in the patrol cars. Gannon in police also work with the Erie Community in order to better serve the Gannon Community. In fact, because Gannon is an urban campus, various offices such as the Erie County courthouse and Erie police department are located right in the heart of campus.

As many county executives, sheriffs, and police officers traveled to and from work, they crossed right through university property adding an extra layer of protection. In fact, you might even see them on one of their lunch breaks in one of our dining locations. The key aspect of staying safe on campus is knowing how to communicate with The Gannon police and Safety Office. Police and safety is located at 210 West Sixth Street in the West offices in the lower level of the Harbor View apartments building.

You can stop by the office at any time to ask questions or file a report. You can also contact police and safety by phone. The Gannon University switchboard operator serves as our police dispatcher and here at Gannon, there is always someone in the dispatch area to answer the phone. There are multiple phone numbers depending on the nature of your call, and each phone number is prioritized based on its level of emergency. Please store these phone numbers in your cell phone for future use. 814-871-7000 is the main number for the university. You can use this number if you're trying to contact me employee on campus. 814-871-7690 is for non-emergency calls. Like when you accidentally get locked out of your residence hall room or need to report a maintenance issue in your residence hall. 814-871-7777 is for emergencies and is treated like a 911 call. Please save this number in your emergency speed dial.

In case of an emergency, an officer will be dispatched immediately and the switchboard operator will call for any additional first responder services that are necessary. We also encourage you to sign up to receive emergency text messages and email alerts. To sign up log into the my.gannon.edu portal and locate the Gannon University emergency notification box at the right side of the page. Select click here to sign up and a new window will open. There will be prompts to enter your phone number to receive text notifications and voice notifications. Once you type in your phone numbers, click "Submit" and you should be redirected to a confirmation window.

Another safety feature that we offer here at Gannon is the LiveSafe app. This app is free to all students and employees and offers a variety of safety features. Consider it your own personal safety app. It serves as an emergency call box that you carry with you at all times. There is a button to directly call 911. You can also be walked home virtually by friends who have the app. Crimes and suspicious activity can be reported to police and safety through the app by submitting a written report along with videos and pictures. The app also includes your basic necessities such as a map of campus, an interactive building directory, emergency plans, and locations of call boxes and AEDs around campus.

As an added bonus, you can use the LiveSafe App to request a ride from our shuttle service called the Nightwatch. This shuttle service is a van that operates during nighttime hours and is free to all students and employees at Gannon. It is operated by student workers employed by police and safety so they are connected to the dispatcher through a police radio. The van provides rides to and from locations within the campus vicinity. The LiveSafe app is just one of the awesome features police and safety offered to keep students safe. There are a number of other safety resources around campus as well.

There are over a dozen emergency call boxes and over 500 cameras which serve as a deterrent to crime and are very helpful during investigations. Campus also boasts more than 35 AEDs just in case of an emergency. Your Gannon ID is also a helpful resource, you will receive your ID when you're on boarded to the university. You can use your ID to access your residence hall, the Recreation and Wellness Center, and other campus buildings. This card is also how you access your meal plan. Please remember to turn in your ID photo to police and safety by visiting www.gannon.edu/acceptedtodolist. When you receive your Gannon ID you also receive an EMTA sticker which allows you to ride the local bus service for free.

As for other transportation around campus, police and safety oversees and enforces all parking in Gannon lots. First-year residents are not eligible for a parking spot but if they have a special need to bring their car to campus, they can contact the Erie parking authority to purchase a ramp card for one of the ramps nearby campus. Upper class residents can rent a spot. This location is determined by seniority. Commuter students can find out more about parking from the Office of Commuter Life. At the end of the day, Gannon and is committed to keeping you safe. We encourage you to keep yourself safe by being aware of your surroundings, making healthy choices, and focusing on your well being. We hope you enjoy your time at Gannon knowing that we are here to support you. If you have any other questions about safety, please don't hesitate to reach out. See you soon.

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