Top cop on campus
Archived article from Nov 3, 2003
At a glance: Barry Roberson, New Brunswick/Piscataway police chief
Residence: Medford Township (Burlington County)
Education: Bachelor’s degree in human services, Thomas Edison State College; master’s in public administration, Rutgers; graduate, FBI National Academy, U.S. Secret Service Executive Protection Program, Law Enforcement Executive Development Program and the Senior Management Institute for Police Executives at Harvard University.
Career Path: Thirty-two years of service with the New Jersey State Police, retiring in 2001 as deputy superintendent for operations and administration; retired captain, New Jersey Army National Guard; former company commander and tactical training officer.
Hobbies: Avid runner who has completed 35 marathons; member of the Pinelands Striders; amateur Civil War researcher/historian.
Since Barry Roberson became Rutgers’ New Brunswick/Piscataway police chief in early May, the department has been in the spotlight. Challenges have ranged from tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli students to a series of high-profile crimes, including street robberies near the College Avenue campus and the recent fight outside a fraternity not officially recognized by the university. The fight seriously injured two students. FOCUS caught up with Roberson in a rare, quiet moment in his office on Huntington Street.
Focus: Which crimes happen most frequently on the Rutgers campus and what measures have been taken to combat them?
Roberson: Property theft is the crime most frequently reported. This involves theft from offices or residence buildings and rooms, thefts from cars, the theft of parts from a car or bags inside cars, and thefts of bikes from racks. In some cases, students steal from students. In other cases, a stranger will follow a student through the door of a residence hall. When the student doesn’t challenge him, the thief gets into the building. Students in residence halls sometimes leave their doors unlocked. We had a recent theft where a student left his keys in the door and then went down the hall. There are all kinds of scenarios.
Through our security shop, the department is working to secure all buildings with swipe-card systems that only allow those with pre-approved access codes to enter the building. Students, faculty and staff have to take responsibility for their belongings. We should all secure valuables, keep our doors locked and notify police when anyone around the building looks suspicious. We recently had a case at the music center on Douglass where the staff saw a suspicious person and immediately reported him to police. R.U.P.D. officers responded, arrested him and now he is charged with committing several burglaries on the campus. Staff, faculty and students can all be eyes and ears for the police department and help to make Rutgers a safer place.
Focus: Crime statistics indicate campus crime decreased in 2002 compared with the previous year. What factors led to the decline?
Roberson: Crime dropped more than 11 percent overall on the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses in 2002, compared with 2001, in part because of the significant resources this department put into having more uniformed personnel on patrol and boosting crime-prevention awareness. Aggravated assaults declined 45 percent and arson cases declined 80 percent over 2001 statistics. While these numbers are encouraging, it’s important for students and campus visitors to take basic safety precautions: lock the doors and windows of residences, don’t walk alone at night unless there is no alternative, and use the late-night escort and other services that the Division of Public Safety provides.
Focus: New Brunswick has had a spate of rapes and burglaries of late. What impact have these incidents had on the Rutgers community and what steps has the department taken to lessen the impact?
Roberson: R.U.P.D. published a crime bulletin and distributed more than 10,000 copies to students, faculty and staff in September. The bulletin contains the chief’s message about the rape investigations, along with personal safety tips, a listing of educational programs and a list of police officers to contact. It lists the community policing officers on every campus, their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. It lists all the shuttles, from the libraries, the New Brunswick Quick Shuttle, the Night Mover and the security officer escorts, and it tells students, faculty and staff how to use those services. We will continue to publish these bulletins and update them regularly. We will devote each issue to the most important topic at that time. The current bulletin is available on the Public Safety Web site, publicsafety.rutgers.edu, under “crime bulletins.”
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