UPGRADED 911 SYSTEM TO LINK CALLER, POLICE DIRECTLY, REDUCES DELAYS

by Jerry Weller

"Operator! Help! I'm being . . . (blood curdling scream)."

We've all seen those cheesy movies where the heroine gets attacked before she can tell the operator where she is.

UM-St. Louis students need not fear such a fate thanks to a brand new security system implemented this year. According to UM-St. Louis police chief Robert Roeseler, the new 911 system will automatically tell the operator from which building an emergency call originates.

In the past, 911 calls were routed to county operators who would then alert UM-St. Louis police.

Unfortunately, there was no way for the operators to tell exactly where the situation was, Roeseler said.

"The new 911 system gives us a tool that allows us to do our job better because we are capable of getting the information much quicker."

Roeseler also said there would be more UM-St. Louis police officers patrolling the campus on bicycles.

"The bike patrol is ideally suited to this campus. We are trying to get our officers out of cars as much as possible to let students know they are not just a uniform," he said.

Roeseler also noted that the UM-St. Louis police department continues to progress toward professional accreditation by the Commission of Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

According to Roeseler, accreditation would have several positive influences on police officers and the department as a whole.

"It raises the credibility of the department because it causes us to reach a certain level of excellence," Roeseler said.

He also said that successful accreditation would increase the morale of his officers by helping to "instill a sense of pride to know that they are part of an organization that has reached this level."

Successful completion of the process would make UM - St. Louis the only professionally accredited university police force in the greater St. Louis area.