Mallory Shipe
Staff Writer
Director of Campus Safety, Pat Cunningham, now has a right-hand man.
Roy Garcia, a Chicago native with over 35 years of law enforcement experience, has been appointed the new Associate Director of Campus Safety.
Prior to joining Colorado College, Garcia served as Director of Campus Safety at Aurora University in Illinois for eight years, and at City Colleges of Chicago for two years. He was named to the Illinois Governor’s Task Force on Campus Safety in 2008, where he expanded his expertise in emergency preparedness and threat assessment to the state level.
Now at Colorado College, one of Garcia’s main goals is to make campus safety an accessible and open resource for all members of the campus community. He is committed to Cunningham’s “community police approach,” in which safety becomes a shared responsibility.
This approach builds a culture of safety and allows Campus Safety greater involvement in promoting safety across the campus community.
“We want to provide a safe learning environment for our campus community, so that’s what we’re all committed to as a team,” Garcia said. “It’s not just me; it includes all of our officers, staff, and students.”
New safety campaigns are one way in which Campus Safety is spreading the message of shared accountability.
“U Lock or I Steal” has been an ongoing effort to discourage bike theft by urging students to use U locks. So far, the campaign has been a success; Campus Safety reported that the number of bikes locked with U locks increased from 50 percent last fall to 70 percent over winter break.
“No Tiger Walks Alone” has become the prominent goal of Campus Safety in the new year. The campaign hopes to encourage students to plan ahead before going out and to never walk alone at night, whether that means walking with a friend or utilizing Safe Ride, the CC Shuttle, or a Tiger Patrol escort.
Additional efforts have been made to expand preexisting programs. Last semester, a Safe Ride app was created that allows students to track the shuttle’s location via GPS. A larger shuttle was purchased for use on high-volume nights.
This semester, Safe Ride service has been expanded to two shuttles on high-volume nights.
In keeping with the philosophy of shared responsibility, Garcia wants to increase the number of Campus Safety jobs available to students. Specifically, he hopes to double the size of Tiger Patrol in the coming year.
“I am actively recruiting good students who want to work for Campus Safety,” said Garcia.
Garcia encouraged students who are interested in working for Campus Safety, as well as all other members of the Colorado College community, to come introduce themselves.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, I look forward to getting to know the students as well as student organizations,” said Garcia.
Garcia is thankful for the warm reception he has received since assuming his position on January 6.
“Everyone that I’ve come into contact with has provided me with a little more information that will help me in my position,” said Garcia. “I’m very honored to be here at Colorado College. It’s a whole lot different. It’s beautiful.”