ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Styling a New Career
Cosmetology supported Elva Salinas as she studied to become an English literature professor

In His Element
Mesa College chemistry professor loves being in the classroom, opening students’ eyes to the wonders of science.

College for Kids
City College’s child development program would have to double to in size to meet current demand.

Parking 101
The first lesson for Mesa College students is the art of finding a parking space.

Lighten Up
Marilyn Biggica shares her low-fat, low-salt, low-sugar recipes for health with students in community cooking classes.

Go With the Flow
Dorothy Simpson has adapted to the waves of innovation in business communication technologies.

News Beat
Veteran journalist guides Mesa College student reporters to create an award-winning campus newspaper.

Close Encounters
Despite cramped locker rooms, no interview areas or parking spaces, the College Police Department continues to keep campuses safe.

Chancellor's Page
The children of baby boomers flood classrooms beyond capacity and state funding.

Development News
Washington Mutual donates $35,000 for future teachers project; EDS equips classroom for computer training.

Factoids
Miscellaneous tidbits of news

Newsmakers Accomplishments of faculty and staff…

The long arm of the law functions well despite cramped quarters.
Close Encounters

In a dozen years, the district’s College Police Department has become one of the most respected college-level police departments in the country. What haven’t evolved with the department are facilities needed by a full fledged police force.

“The facilities haven’t kept pace with the personnel,” said Lt. Jack Doherty, based at Mesa College. “We are in facilities designed originally for different functions. The problem comes from growth over the years, where the facilities haven’t been able to keep pace with the addition of personnel.”

College police officials acknowledge that facilities at all the campuses are short on space and functionality. At Mesa College, for example, the department needs locker, training, briefing and report-writing space, police officials say, and office space for supervisors.

“It’s kind of a handmade department,” Doherty said. “We get desks that have been moved from other areas of the district. We have old lockers from the San Diego Police Department. We enlarge our facility by knocking down walls, but we’ve run out of walls to knock down.”

Police officials say improvements are needed on all campuses, including at Miramar College where the campus would like to build a joint police and public information center to better serve students and the public, while Mesa College needs to at least double the size of its facility.

“These improvements and others would better support our community based policing efforts. Our officers are proactive and progressive, and they need the facilities to help them continue to provide for the safety of the college community,” said College Police Chief Dave Worden.

New facilities would provide private spaces for interviews when incidents or accidents occur. “Right now we really don’t have any place to conduct a private interview, except in the back of a patrol car,” Doherty said.

Locker room space is tight, and at Mesa, only one officer at a time can fit in the women’s locker room. They also don’t have showers and restrooms in the locker area. “It’s not unworkable, but not an ideal situation at all,” Doherty said.

As for parking, officers would prefer to park their cars at the campus police station, but right now often have to park at a distance. If parked right next to the station door, officers could jump in their patrol cars and respond to a scene more quickly.

Then there’s the issue of office space, which the police in some cases have to share. At 6 p.m. every night, Doherty gives up his desk to a college dean, and at 4 p.m., his secretary gives up her desk to the dean’s secretary.
Despite hardships, though, police officials agree they are going through many of the same space problems other campus departments do.

“District facilities have reached maximum capacity, and these issues are across the campuses,” Doherty said
Nevertheless, Doherty is proud of his fellow officers and other department personnel.

“They are enthusiastic and supportive –– totally dedicated –– with a great viewpoint on things,” Doherty said. “They provide a outstanding level of police service, as good as any municipal police department in the region.”