When you look through the crime statistics that Calvin College submits annually as part of the federally regulated Clery Act, the numbers tell the story of a safe campus.
“Just look at our numbers,” said Bill Corner, director of campus safety at Calvin College. “Most of our numbers are zero, and where we have crime we are careful to make people aware of it.”
And that story is consistent in the city in which Calvin College resides. SafeWise security experts have examined the most recent FBI crime statistics and identified safety-related programs and initiatives in college cities across the country. What they found is that Grand Rapids is the third safest college town in America.
“Overall Grand Rapids is a very safe city for a city of its size,” said Corner. “I think it [this study] confirms what most people already knew, Grand Rapids is a safe place, a safe place to send kids to college.”
Building on established relationships
Captain Curt Vanderkooi, a 36-year veteran with the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), agrees with that assessment.
“I think what’s important in Grand Rapids is there’s really a lot of networking and communication between police and the citizens, the neighborhoods, and the universities and colleges. There’s a lot of teamwork,” said Vanderkooi. “And the key of community policing is developing relationships and solving problems.”
And those relationships are strong between local law enforcement and Calvin College campus safety officers. Corner and Vanderkooi worked together at GRPD for 14 years. And a number of Corner's Calvin colleagues have worked with GRPD as well.
“It helps that they come with a wealth of knowledge, having dealt with critical incidents in the past, understanding what has to happen in those situations. They come with a skill-set that someone who just goes straight into security work might not have early on,” said Corner. “And they have that connection with the local law enforcement community because they are a part of it. And that’s huge. When a police officer comes on campus and you know each other there’s a comfort level that might not be there if that officer has never worked with a security officer on campus before.”
“When issues arise, it is really important because there’s trust where we know we can communicate honestly with one another and work together and know that things that need confidentiality will be kept confidential,” said Vanderkooi. “And they [Calvin security members] understand our policies and procedures and what we can and cannot do, how we can help them, which is so very helpful in dealing with various situations. And Bill Corner has really done a good job of organizing and moving security to a much higher level at Calvin.”
Keeping students well informed
Corner says while crime statistics at Calvin are low, when an issue does arise the college makes sure students and the community are aware of it, and promptly. One way the college does this is through a daily crime log that is kept on the college’s campus safety website and is archived monthly dating back two years. The college also has a notification system that can alert students if there’s a situation that needs immediate attention. And Corner says that includes any safety-related issues within close proximity to campus.
“Captain Vanderkooi will share with us if there are any crimes for us to be aware of in the nearby neighborhoods,” said Corner. “This helps us keep our off-campus students living in those neighborhoods informed, so they can take safety measures to not be victimized.”
