CAMPUS SAFETY

Centrally located on the ground level of Old Main on the Chester Campus, the Campus Safety Department provides 24-hour-per-day, seven-day-a-week service and protection. The department uses highly visible officers on bicycles, vehicles, and foot patrols.

Campus Safety provides: 

• Escort service for individual protection.
• Transportation to nearby medical facilities for emergencies.
• Two shuttle buses that circulate the campus three times per hour from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on weekdays and until 3:00 a.m. on weekends.

The shuttle also provides transportation to nearby off-campus locations. Additionally, the campus is closely monitored via surveillance cameras and emergency call stations are located throughout the campus.

Widener's four campuses are kept peaceful by the combined efforts of the entire community. Intelligent, safety-conscious respect for self and others is expected of everyone – students, faculty, staff, and guests.

The Campus Safety Department reports to the vice president of Administration and Finance and works closely with the Operations and Maintenance Department.

Safety is a primary concern in the maintenance, groundskeeping, and lighting on campus. Campus Safety also works closely with the Office of Student Affairs and other university offices to ensure that safety policies and procedures are uniformly executed and conveyed in a clear and consistent fashion to students, faculty, and staff.

The Safety Department enjoys an excellent working relationship with the City of Chester Police Department, which has primary police jurisdiction for the Main Campus. All matters brought to the attention of Campus Safety are investigated to determine appropriate action, and victims of possible crimes are given the opportunity to report the incident to the local police department. The university also works closely with Pennsylvania State Police and other enforcement agencies.

Safety personnel on the Chester Campus are identified under Pennsylvania Law as "Special Officers" with the power to detain and arrest, whose authority is limited to the immediate and adjacent vicinity of university property. The safety officers do not carry weapons.

The force is composed of a director, deputy director, assistant director, fire marshall, locksmith, secretary, and 59 full-time officers. Eight part-time officers supplement the force during evening hours. At special events, fully certified Pennsylvania police officers are used as needed.

All of Widener's officers receive mandatory on-the-job and in-service training and are instructed in first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, with most officers currently certified by the American Red Cross in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Campus Safety
Old Main, Ground Floor

Widener University
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013-5792