Crime Awareness and Public Safety

The Public Safety Department (PSD) provides for the security and safety of the campus community. The department is located in the Student and Community Services building (KSC 126) and is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Public Safety Officers maintain a visible presence and proactively patrol campus parking lots and buildings on a regular basis. The department's telephone number is 602-787-7900, or on campus extension 7-7900. The on campus emergency number is 7-79ll.

The department staff consists of one Director, four certified police officers, one full-time and several part-time Public Safety Aides, one full-time dispatcher, and an office coordinator. Paradise Valley Public Safety is supervised by the MCCD Director of Public Safety. MCCD Public Safety maintains a cooperative working relationship with the Phoenix Police Department and Fire Department and will request assistance from these agencies as needed.

The Public Safety Director and all college police officers have full peace officer authority, including arrest authority under Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) title 13-3883 and as further defined by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. The department’s security officers have no arrest authority except those granted under ARS 13-3884.

PVCC strives to maintain a safe and secure campus environment for students, staff, and visitors. Offices and classrooms are secured when not in use and officers who discover defective doors or locks, interior/exterior lighting problems, or other hazards, immediately report the situation to the appropriate college department for action. PVCC's key control policy allows only select administrators to control the issuance of keys to individuals within their assigned areas. Access to campus buildings after hours requires the use of a Public Safety Department (PSD) card key.

PVCC building hours are from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday - Thursday and 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday. The college is closed on Sundays and designated holidays. Summer hours vary. After hour access rules can be obtained from the PSD. All campus facilities are monitored by silent burglar alarms after hours. All PVCC students and employees are issued photo identification cards and are expected to carry the card with them while on campus.

To report criminal activity or other emergencies to the PVCC Public Safety Department (PSD), please call our on campus emergency number 7-7911 or come directly to the PSD located in the Student and Community Services building, room KSC126. Emergency call boxes, located in the parking lots, as well as any of the house phones located in the hallway of each classroom building, may also be used to contact Public Safety regarding non-emergencies or from off campus please telephone 602-787-7900.

Specific details of the incident should be given. Criminal activity off campus should be reported to the Phoenix Police Department or other local law enforcement agency by dialing 9-1-1. PVCC does not have a policy or procedure that would allow a victim or witness to report a crime on a voluntary and confidential basis. However, the PSD accepts and investigates all reported incidents, whether or not a victim or witness provides a name or other identifying information.

Criminal activity may also be reported to the following offices, not connected to the PSD: Vice President of Student Affairs: 602-787-6612; Associate Dean of Students: 602-787-7020; Athletic Department: 602-787-6622; or the Counseling Department: 602-787-6540.

Each of these departments reports any criminal activity to the PSD and it is used to prepare PVCC's Crime Statistics. A formal police report is not needed for a crime report to be included in the statistics. PVCC does not have a policy that encourages its professional counselors, if and when the counselor deems it appropriate, to inform the person being counseled of any procedures to report crime on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics. Generally when counselors do not have permission of the victim, they can only report the occurrence of a number/statistic to the law enforcement authority.

A PVCC Public Safety Officer will respond to all incidents reported to Public Safety Department (PSD). When necessary the City of Phoenix Police Department and/or Fire Department will respond to emergencies on campus. In addition to immediate crisis response, PVCC also responds administratively if a reported criminal offense involves a PVCC student or employee as either a victim or alleged offender. An alleged offender who is a PVCC student or employee is subject to applicable PVCC and Arizona Community College State Board conduct policies, disciplinary procedures, and sanctions. Sanctions may include suspension or termination of employment for employee offenders (ACCSBRR 671-51).

PVCC designs programs to inform students and employees about Public Safety Department (PSD) procedures and practices. These programs also encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own security and the security of others. Personal safety steps are also offered. At the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester PVCC conducts a general student orientation program. This includes information on PSD programs.

In the event of the identification of an on-going threat to the safety and security of the college population, PVCC Public Safety will issue a warning. This warning may be made via posters, emails, through the college newspaper, mass notification system, RAVE texting, by spreading the information personally by PSD officers or a combination of these methods.

Upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus population, PVCC Public Safety will initiate the campus Mass Notification System (MNS). The MNS is capable of reaching those on campus through redundant means that may include emergency beacons, sirens, a public address system, bullhorns and/or other means available. The decision on an appropriate course of action and the type of instructions given to the campus community will be made by the Public Safety Director, a campus police officer or other college official based upon the information available at the time. Actions may vary and may include orders to evacuate a portion of or all of the campus or to lock down in place.

Fire alarms as well as evacuation and immediate warning (MNS) systems are tested on a regular basis and at least annually.

The occurrence of crime considered to present a threat to members of the campus community, is reported on a weekly basis (bi-weekly during the summer months) through the “PVCC Public Safety Updates/Summary of Incidents.” Copies of the update are available in the Public Safety office and on its webpage http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/safety/. The update provides information on specific crime(s) that have occurred on campus and routinely contains tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.

PVCC Public Safety Maintains a Daily Crime Log that contains the date, time, location, nature and disposition of all crimes occurring at the college and on adjacent public property. Entries in the log are made within two business days of the incident report. Copies of the log are available to anyone requesting this information at the Public Safety office. Requests for Daily Crime Log information older than 60 days will be provided within two business days.

Crime statistics and security policies, collated in accordance to the guidelines established in the Clery Act (20 USC 1092(f)), are published and distributed annually to all current students and employees, and when requested, to any applicant for enrollment or employment at the college. A copy will also be provided to anyone upon request to the Director of Public Safety 602-787-7900.

An escort service is available to the students and staff of PVCC. A request may be made to the PSD at extension 7-7900. An officer will respond and accompany you to your vehicle.

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PVCC PSD also offers assistance to drivers who have locked their keys in their car and/or whose car is disabled on campus. After the driver of the vehicle prepares and signs the appropriate vehicle assistance form, an officer will provide a battery boost or assist with opening the vehicle.

Members of the PSD also provide safety presentations during orientations. They are also available to talk to any department or groups of students. The orientations and talks are designed to educate members of the college community about the services provided by the PSD and how to avoid becoming the victim of a crime.

Victims of a sex offense, forcible or non-forcible, are encouraged to report the assault to the Public Safety Department (PSD) in person or by calling (602) 787-7900, the Phoenix Police Department or by calling 9-1-1, or the office of the Dean of Students or by calling (602)787-6612. A victim should not change clothes or bathe prior to alerting police due to a possible loss if evidence that is needed to prove a criminal offense. The PSD, in conjunction with the Counseling Office, will offer periodic programs throughout the year to promote the awareness of rape, acquaintance rape and other sexual offenses.

In the event of a sexual assault, the Office of the Dean, Division of Counseling, and the PSD will assist the victim by notifying the victim of available counseling, mental health services, and referral to other community services. Assistance will also be offered concerning changing academic situations, if changes are requested by the victim and are reasonably available. College counselors can be contacted by calling (602)787-6541. Victims may also receive free, confidential, twenty-four hour counseling by calling the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) at 1-800-656-4673, extension 1. Trained counselors are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Sexual assault is a criminal act, which subjects the criminal and civil penalties in state and federal courts. Offenders involved in sex offenses are also subject to campus disciplinary procedures handled through the office of the Dean of Students. Sanctions may include suspension or expulsion for student offenders or termination of employment for employee offenders. In a disciplinary proceeding involving an alleged sexual assault, both the accuser and the accused are entitled to the same opportunity to have others present during the proceedings. Also, both the accuser and the accused shall be informed of the outcome of a disciplinary proceeding which alleges a sexual assault. PVCC also encourages victims and witnesses of sexual harassment to report the accident to the office of the Dean of Students.

PVCC is committed to providing an educational environment consistent with Maricopa Community College District policies, free from unlawful acts, and free from the problems associated with the unauthorized use and abuse of alcohol and drugs. Accordingly, PVCC and the Maricopa Community Colleges support the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989 (Public Law 101-226). The possession, sale or consumption of an alcoholic beverage in any premises owned and/or leased/rented by the District for approved educational purposes is prohibited.

A variety of alcohol and drug abuse prevention efforts occur at the college during each school year to educate students and employees of the health risks associated with the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Campus community members who have an alcohol or drug problem can receive assistance by calling the following agencies: AL-ANON 1-800-356-9996; American Council on Alcoholism 1-800-527-5344; the National Institute on Drug Abuse Hotline 1-800-662-4357; or DRUGHELP 1-800-378-4435.

Smoking is also prohibited inside the college buildings and within 25 feet of any entrance/exit door. Campus community members are requested to utilize the designated smoking areas for smoking. Children under the age of 18 may not attend a class unless officially registered for the class. Children that are not registered are not allowed on campus unless participating in an authorized college program or under immediate supervision of an adult. Additional information about health risks, programs available, the college drug policy and legal sanctions/disciplinary action may be obtained through the office of the Associate Dean of Students.

All persons who attend classes, are employed by Maricopa Community colleges, are visiting PVCC, or who otherwise have business with PVCC, and are prohibited from carrying or possessing any type of deadly weapon. "Concealed Weapons Permits" are not valid on the PVCC campus.

The Public Safety Department (PSD) under the direction of the Director of Public Safety is responsible for gathering the data used to prepare the annual campus crime statistics. The data is obtained from reports made to the PSD, the Phoenix Police Department, campus security authorities and the college Counseling Department. In the case of the college departments, the data is gathered on the same day that it is reported. Data is obtained annually from the Phoenix Police Department for the Union Hills campus, and Scottsdale Police Department for the Black Mountain site campus.

The following statistics have been compiled in accordance with the definitions used in the uniform crime reporting system of the Department of Justice, FBI as modified by the Hate Crime Statistics Act, concerning the occurrence on campus, during the most recent school year, and during the two proceeding school years for which data are available, of the following criminal offenses.

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*NOTE: Black Mountain statistics include reports that occurred within 250 feet of campus. The Black Mountain Campus was opened in 2009, therefore, no statistics are available for the year 2008.

As required by the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, law enforcement agency information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained by visiting the following internet address: http://www.azsexoffender.com/

Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter: The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.

Forcible Sex Offenses: Any sexual act (forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, forcible fondling) or an attempted sexual act directed against another person, forcibly and/or against that persons will, or not forcibly or against the persons will where the victim is incapable of giving consent.

Non-Forcible Sex Offense: Unlawful non-forcible sexual intercourse (incest, statutory rape).

Robbery: The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

Aggravated Assault: An unlawful attack by one person on another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.

Burglary: The unlawful entry of a structure (excluding a vehicle) to commit a felony or a theft. Arson: Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Motor Vehicle Theft: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

Weapons Law Violations: The violations of laws or ordinances dealing with weapons offenses, regulatory in nature, such as: manufacture, sale, or possession of deadly weapons; carrying deadly weapons, concealed or openly; furnishing deadly weapons to minors; alien possession of deadly weapons; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned.

Drug Abuse Violations: Violations of state and local laws relating to the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing, and making of narcotic drugs. The relevant substances include: opium or cocaine and their derivatives (morphine, heroin, codeine); marijuana; synthetic narcotics (Demerol, methadone); and dangerous non-narcotic drugs (barbiturates, Benzedrine).

Liquor Law Violations: The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, transporting, furnishing, possessing of intoxicating liquor; maintaining unlawful drinking places; bootlegging; operating a still; furnishing liquor to a minor or intemperate person; using a vehicle for illegal transportation of liquor, drinking on a train or public conveyance; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned (drunkenness and driving under the influence are not included in this definition).