Valley Interview : Helping the Campus Recover Is Priority for CSUN Police Chief

Edward Harrison, the new chief of police at Cal State Northridge, brings 20 years of experience to the job, the last seven years at Cal State University, San Bernardino.

In all his assignments, Harrison has mixed his police work with community work, something he also hopes to do at Northridge.

When CSUN President Blenda Wilson appointed Harrison four months ago, she described the Pasadena resident as “the kind of person every man wished to be--articulate, wise, professional and prepared.”

Harrison discussed police work and the special circumstances surrounding law enforcement on the Northridge campus, which was devastated by the earthquake.

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Question: How big is the campus police force?

Answer: The Department of Public Safety consists of 18 sworn officers, the same status as a local police officer. We have a parking operation, responsible for traffic control on campus. We have an environmental health and safety unit. Including dispatchers, we have 23 people.

Q: What are the prime responsibilities of the sworn officers?

A: They patrol the grounds in cars and on foot patrol. We also have two motorcycle officers and a crime prevention unit, a two-officer unit that investigates crimes on campus as well as developing crime prevention programs and public safety programs.

Q: What are some of the more serious crime problems on the campus?

A: We are really concerned with auto thefts and burglaries on this campus. Those are the most common property crimes on our campus. We also have the normal misdemeanor thefts you find on any campus: backpacks, bikes, textbooks stolen. Most of our crimes are crimes against property.

Q: What is it like to work in a place where people, by their nature, challenge and question everything, especially authority?

A: It is a very large challenge. The challenge is being able to deal with the various groups on campus. We have people from all over the world who come here to get an education and they bring their customs and beliefs with them. We have a little bit of everybody. This is my fourth campus.

Freedom of speech is a major right on a camps, and sometimes students think the campus is a sanctuary and they can say or do pretty much anything they want. They are idealistic about the world, and some of them leave doors open, set down a wallet or backpack almost anywhere, and then they are very surprised when (their belongings) are stolen.

Q: Has that presented a problem?

A: It’s only that we’re trying to return to a normalcy here because so many people who work here were also personally affected away from the job. To have to look at the devastation on this campus everyday has been hard on some members of the campus staff. It has been tough.

Q: How do you handle serious crimes that take place on campus?

A: If there is a serious felony, such as a murder or a rape, we will get specialized Los Angeles Police Department units to help us. As far as computer thefts, auto thefts, our officers take the report, and our investigators perform the follow-up work. We have joint jurisdiction with LAPD, and we’re not shy about asking them to help us with things that require real expertise, such as a murder investigation.

Q: So what do your investigators do? Is there an auto theft every day?

A: No, not every day, but we have to deal with thefts on campus and employee theft investigations sometimes. Our officers do crime prevention surveys and other kinds of preventive measures like personal safety for women on campus.

Q: Do students get involved in crime prevention?

A: Yes, we have a student community service officer program--a group of 70 students who escort students, staff and faculty to and from cars at night. They work special events like football games, big dances, graduation exercises, things like that. They are a tremendous help.

Q: How is Northridge different from previous jobs on college campuses?

A: Northridge is more of an urban campus than my last job in San Bernardino. This campus is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and there are more people and more things going on all the time. And it has been in the spotlight because of the earthquake. The Northridge campus has been featured all over the world.

Q: Has the earthquake presented any problems?

A: I sent guys from San Bernardino to help officers out after the Northridge quake. We also have about 35 private security guards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and they will be here through September. They are the eyes and ears of the campus. It has really kept our crime statistics down this year. It has kept the bad guys away, with the exception of a few.

Q: Who is doing most of the theft?

A: Mostly young people 15 to 25 are doing the auto burglaries and thefts--sometimes local high school kids. Sometimes known gang members wander up here and try to heist a car or spray graffiti. We’ve caught three or four people in the last few weeks.

Q: Is it tough to cover a campus in such disarray?

A: It is hard, and that’s why we still have the extra security guards. It’s hard to keep track of who’s getting on the campus because of all the entry and exit points. It would be next to impossible without the students or the faculty raising a stink about it.

Q: How is this different from regular law enforcement?

A: The clientele. Many times in local law enforcement, you’re going to hot calls and going from call to call. Here you pretty much are dealing with people who are here to get an education, not rip off the place. They have a different attitude and philosophy. It can be a refreshing experience.

Q: Any changes planned?

A: I’d like to think I bring a higher level of service, a community-based concept--getting officers involved with faculty, staff and students in stopping crime, breaking down the barriers that sometimes exist between law enforcement officers and educators. Sometimes we’re philosophically apples and oranges.

Q: Do any examples spring to mind?

A: One of the larger issues on campus is where instructors are going to park their cars. A number of them like their cars as close to their office as they can get it. It’s been a debate on every campus I’ve ever worked--who parks where. That’s a big issue on a campus.

Q: Have you ever towed a faculty member’s car or arrested one?

A: At other schools I’ve worked, like Long Beach and Pasadena, they’ve parked in fire lanes, or maybe they’ve been arrested and we’ve towed their car? Oh yeah. We’ve had our share of professors who have done bad things. Staff members too.

Q: What will be your biggest challenge at Northridge?

A: Getting the campus back together. We’re going to be recovering here for the next two to three years. This is such a beautiful campus, and to see it now is really heartbreaking. We need to get that beauty back.

Q: Are there still buildings that are exposed from the quake?

A: There are still a number of buildings that are unoccupied, and they are sealed up until workers can get to them and bring them back up to code. It isn’t as bad as it was shortly after the quake. Faculty people with their life’s work inside those buildings were willing to risk their life to retrieve that stuff. With the extra security, we have people around these buildings in some cases 24 hours a day. And we still have a few of the tourists who want to get their photo taken in front of the fallen parking structure. Hopefully, that will be gone by the first of the year. We are currently trying to find a contractor who will tear down the structure.