New Security Measures Added on Weekday

Extra security measures that had been in place on weekends have been expanded to weekdays as part of the university's efforts to enhance security on and off campus.

The extra efforts include adding up to 20 contract security officers on patrol, increasing voluntary overtime work by Duke Police officers and adding joint patrols with Durham Police, said Kemel Dawkins, vice president of campus services.

"We've made significant steps in terms of adding extra security officers and making them visible on campus," he said.

Dawkins also noted that police have made arrests in two crimes reported last year. In June, Duke Police charged Lorenzo Espinosa Mondragon with two attacks on women in Duke Forest. In August, Duke Police arrested Daniel Garcia Romero in a case in which a student was accosted in her Central Campus apartment.

Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, said he hopes the extra visibility eases student fears and builds a stronger relationship between Duke Police and students.

"Police officers aren't there to monitor the students, but to support students," he said.

He stressed that Duke administrators take safety seriously, but also cautioned that people should put these incidents in perspective. "Despite all of this, we're a safe campus," he said. "We have comparatively little serious crime."

Last spring, in addition to extra weekend security patrols, Duke installed 139 additional light poles and upgraded 85 blue light HELP phones; placed vans in the Blue Zone parking lot from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and conducted more than 20 building audits and 150 crime-prevention programs.

"This is an ongoing process, which we're continually reviewing," Dawkins said.