1 NOVA Public Safety Newsletteryou with a virtual escort and a treasure trove of safety and security information. 3. Clery. On October 1st, as required by federal legislation, NOVA

1

NOVA Public

Safety

Newsletter

January, 2018

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NOVA POLICE FLEET IN THIS ISSUE

Greetings. My name’s Penelope,

and I am the NOVA Police

Department’s (almost) official

police cat. You might think this

strange, since everyone talks about

police K-9s. It’s true: dogs are loyal

and obedient, but they drool and

have bad breath. Cats, on the other

paw, are independent thinkers and

excellent judges of character and

situations.

Starting in February, if I am not

scratching the furniture, sleeping, or

eating, I will provide a monthly tip

to help you stay safe. Keep an eye

out for my good looks and hair

balls.

Meet Penelope, The NOVA Police Cat

It Was A Good Year For NOVA Police

NOVA Facilities Implements Improved Lighting

NOVA’s Inclement Weather Procedures

Winter Emergency Preparedness

Cops and Kids/ Toy Drives

NOVA Police Upcoming Training On Campus

Police Dispatch

(703) 764-5000

Call Us 24/7/365

Meet Penelope, the NOVA Police Cat

Penelope spends much of her

time dreaming about safety and

security enhancements.

NOVA PUBLIC SAFETY NEWSLETTER 2 4

It Was a Good Year for

NOVA Police

The past year was one of great

success for your police department.

Here are 10 areas where we

excelled:

1. Reduced Crime on Campus.

NOVA is a safe place and getting

safer. Criminal events on our

campuses and at our centers have

been halved since 2010. This

continuing decline is due to the

quality of NOVA officers and

productive engagement by the

campus community in its own

safety and security.

2. LiveSafe. NOVA Police sponsor

the LiveSafe mobile safety app,

which is available at no cost to

members of the NOVA

Community. With LiveSafe, you

can contact college police quickly

and unobtrusively via text to request

services and report crimes. The

app, available from the iTunes or

Google Plays stores, also provides

you with a virtual escort and a

treasure trove of safety and security

information.

3. Clery. On October 1st, as

required by federal legislation,

NOVA released its Annual Security

Report. The ASR identifies

selected crimes on NOVA

campuses and facilities under

NOVA control as well as policies

and procedures that support safety

and security on campus. You may

review this report at

http://www.nvcc.edu/police/college-

safety/reports.html .

4. Closed high-profile cases. In

2017, NOVA Police solved

numerous high-profile misdemeanor

and felony cases. The case load

included physical and sexual

assaults, missing persons, larcenies,

frauds, attempted suicides, and

counterfeit currency violations.

NOVA Police worked these cases

independently and in partnership

with local, state and federal

authorities. To see the full scope of

crimes our officers work, check out

our crime log at

http://blogs.nvcc.edu/crimelog/ .

5. NOVA Officers Taught at Local

Police Academies. NOVA officers

have many areas of expertise and

regularly teach firearms, active

shooter response, bicycle

operations, defensive tactics,

emergency communications, and

verbal de-escalation techniques to

officers from other jurisdictions at

two local police academies and at

various agencies.

6. Officer Training. In addition to

regular firearms training, NOVA

officers received crucial training in

areas that enhance our ability to

protect and serve the college

community: active shooter

response, sexual assault and

violence against women, defensive

tactics, public information officer

response, gangs, and incident

response are among the many areas

in which NOVA officers trained

during 2017.

7. Community Outreach and

Support. During 2017, NOVA

Police provided over 170 training

sessions to the campus community

in over 10 areas including active

shooter response, staying safe on

the street and in the classroom,

dealing with difficult people, and

self-defense considerations. NOVA

Police also conduct numerous

charity and civic events, such as

food and toy drives.

8. NOVA’s Award-Winning Public

Safety Newsletter (PSN). NOVA’s

PSN is a valuable information

resource that can empower you to

stay safe and secure. This

newsletter won a state-wide award

for excellence for the third year in a

row. To see training available, our

newsletters, and other safety

information, go to

http://www.nvcc.edu/current-

students/police/ .

9. NOVA Police have National

Impact. In 2017, NOVA police

published 5 articles on college

policing, officer safety, firearms

training, etc. in Campus Safety

Magazine. They also gave

presentations at 4 national and 3

state conferences. One officer

received two national public safety

writing awards for the third time in

four years.

10. Professional Communications.

NOVA Police Dispatch occupies a

state of the art facility in the CA

building on the Annandale campus.

In 2017, Dispatch had over 60,000

interactions with the public and/or

NOVA officers, an indicator of how

busy NOVA dispatchers and police

officers are. You can reach

Dispatch 24/7/365 at 703-764-5000.

NOVA Police welcome you back

to campus, and wish you success

in your 2018 academic endeavors.

If you would like additional

information about any of the items

mentioned above, make a

suggestion, or learn more about us

and the services we provide, call

Dispatch at the number above,

Officer Juan Cardenas, the

department’s Community

Outreach Officer at 703-539-9319,

or drop by any campus police

station.


NOVA Facilities Implements

Improved Lighting

By: Miles D. Smith, CEM, CEA, CMVP,

Senior Energy Project Manager

Artificial lighting supports NOVA

students, staff and visitors with

improved security, productivity

and aesthetic benefits. NOVA

Facilities and Planning is

providing indoor and outdoor

lighting that is functional,

attractive, and economical to

install, maintain and operate.

These lighting improvements have

had a major effect on campus

security. Lighting deters crime in

two major ways. First, it aids

citizens in monitoring their

environments, thereby lessening

the risk of being surprised by a

predator. Second, better lighting

increases the risks for predators

that their actions will be witnessed

by someone else, either on scene

or reviewing NOVA’s security

cameras post hoc. The prospect of

identification and subsequent

arrest and adjudication do more

than just provide justice to victims

and punish wrongdoers. It also

identifies NOVA as a difficult

target for illegal activities. Since

most crimes rely on opportunity,

NOVA’s reputation as a safe place

where predators are likely to be

caught and punished encourages

these criminals to go elsewhere to

find an easy mark.

Starting in 2015, Facilities

reviewed a range of products and

configurations for attributes

including safety, light quality,

energy efficiency, operational

features and benefits, initial cost,

long term maintenance

requirements, and warranty terms.

Installation began in 2017 and the

results have been impressive,

judging from significant positive

feedback. Highlights include

conversion of 95% of Annandale

Campus parking lots and

sidewalks to high color-rendering

index (CRI) LEDs. High CRI

lighting is important to law

enforcement because it improves

color distinction both in person

and when viewing security camera

video. The Annandale lot project

eliminated several chronically

under-illuminated parking areas

and dramatically improved the

appearance and effectiveness of

the original design pole top

“globe” fixtures on the plaza. The

CT building interior has also been

retrofitted with new lighting,

providing standardization

throughout the building, reduced

energy consumption by more than

50%, and increased expected lamp

life from 4.5 to over 11 years.

Upcoming lighting projects at

Annandale include CC, CN, CS

and the parking garage.

The Alexandria Campus’s

Engineering and Maintenance

buildings received new lighting.

Dawes Garage lighting has been

improved with highly efficient

LED lighting, saving

Commonwealth taxpayers roughly

$80,000. Scheduled Alexandria

improvements are the Bisdorf

Building, Beauregard garage,

outdoor parking lots and

sidewalks, and Schlesinger Hall’s

exterior bollards.

At Manassas, new LED light

bollards and bases at the

Amphitheater improved walkway

safety and audience comfort.

The Tech building’s bay areas and

welding shop have been improved.

Using high output lighting in the

automotive bays eliminated

chronic dark areas, improving the

student/faculty educational

experience. The welding shop’s

old lighting technology, that

required 20 minutes to achieve full

brightness, was replaced with new,

higher output LD fixtures.

Additional fixtures were also

added to fill in dark areas. Next

up at Manassas are improvments

for Parrish Hall and parking lot

lighting.

Loudoun parking lots and

sidewalks will soon see lighting

retrofits. Other projects are being

developmed for the MEC and

Woodbridge Campuses, along

with additional projects at the

previously mentioned campuses.

These Facilities projects have

enhanced the appearance and

function of our campuses, halved

lighting energy expenditures,

conserved natural resources, and

improved safety and security.


NOVA’s Inclement Weather Procedures

If the College is going to close, a text alert will be sent to cell phones registered with NOVA Alert, a notice will be

posted on the NOVA website home page, and major local media outlets will broadcast the closing information.

If the College closes early due to inclement weather, an email will be sent to all faculty, staff, and students with the

closing time. Faculty, staff, and students will be provided specific departure times they can leave to ensure a safe

and orderly departure. A sample message one may see is as follows:

NOVA classes and activities will end for students at X:XX p.m. due to inclement weather. Faculty and

administrative offices will close at Y:YY p.m. The College will provide updates, if needed, via NOVA Alert

and/or the website.

Important Reminders:

Please note that “College closing,” means all physical buildings and grounds on all campuses and off-

campus locations. However, the physical closure of the buildings and grounds does not affect any

alternative teaching and learning delivery approaches established by faculty, and communicated to students

(such as Blackboard, e-mails, video-conferencing, etc.).

If the College opens late, exterior doors will not be opened until one hour before the announced opening

time. Please do not ask police to unlock buildings ahead of time; they are not authorized to do so.

If the College closes early, doors will be locked one hour after the announced closing time. You should

leave the campus immediately but in no case later than the time specified in the departure message--as

illustrated above. For safety reasons, you will not be permitted to remain in the buildings.

For more details on the College’s inclement weather procedures as well as a listing of the media outlets that carry

the College’s closing and delay information, please go to the Office of Emergency Management and Safety

website at www.nvcc.edu/emergency. As a reminder, please do not contact Police Dispatch or the Office of

Emergency Management and Safety for closing updates.


Emergency Preparedness Tips for a

New – and Wintery – Spring Semester

Preparing for the new Spring Semester is more than just a trip to the campus bookstore or fine tuning lesson plans.

Winter weather in the early Spring Semester months causes unique hazards that require additional preparedness

actions. Keep the following steps in mind when preparing yourself for winter hazards.


Cops and Kids Event

On December 2nd, 2017, NOVA Police participated in

the Loudoun-Dulles Fraternal Order of Police 16th

annual Cops & Kids event. As part of this event, over

100 children were fed breakfast at the Dulles 28

Center Wegman’s and were led by Santa and Mrs.

Claus to the Target across the street. There, the

children were paired up with law enforcement officers

from several area jurisdictions. The children were

given $200 gift cards to spend on themselves and/or

their loved ones for holiday gifts. These funds were

raised by officers for the children. The escorting

officers were there to help the children spend their gift

cards responsibly. In addition to the shopping card,

each child received a new winter coat, a hand-knitted

winter hat, and both coloring and reading books.

Volunteers included 175 active and retired officers

from Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg

Police Department, NOVA Police Department,

Middleburg Police Department, Purcellville Police

Department, Virginia State Police and federal agencies

including the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S.

Customs Bureau. Community outreach officer, Juan

Cardenas was paired with 6-year-old Iken Anostegui

who was eager to get his hands on some “Five Nights

at Freddy’s” and “Pokémon” toys. Iken also bought

shoes, clothes and a fidget spinner for his mother. Iken

made sure Officer Cardenas did not forget to purchase

batteries for his new remote control car. Officer

Cardenas, who has young children himself, was

humbled by Iken’s understanding of “needs” versus

“wants” at only 6 years of age.

NOVA Police Lieutenant, John Weinstein participated

in the Fraternal Order of Police Rappahannock Area

Lodge Cops and Kids event. Approximatley 250 kids

were given $100 gift cards and shopped with an officer

at the Target in Fredericksburg’s Central Park. In

additiaon to participating in Cops and Kids, the NOVA

Police Department collected and donated toys and

clothes to two families in need. The NOVA Police

thanks all who supported these efforts.

Iken with his cool new Pokémon watch

Lt. Weinstein supporting the “Cops and

Kids” event in Fredericksburg, Va.

Thank you to the NOVA

Community for your donations!


NOVA Police conduct an active

community outreach program. The

following training topics, open to

all faculty, staff and students, will

be conducted in the 2017-2018

school year. If any of these times

are inconvenient, or there are other

public safety topics that interest

you, please contact Community

Outreach Officer Juan Cardenas,

at [email protected] or

703.539.9319. If accommodations

are needed, please notify Officer

Cardenas at least a week prior to

any presentation you are interested

in attending.

2017 – 2018 NOVA Police

Training

September — Staying Safe on the

Streets (with Self-Defense

Considerations)

October — Alcohol

Awareness/DUI

November — Active Shooter

Response

December — Dealing With

Difficult People

January — Staying Safe in the

Classroom

February — Everything You Ever

Wanted To Know About The

Police (But Were Afraid To Ask)

March – How To

Recognize/Report Suspicious

Behavior

April — Crimes Against Women

May — Staying Safe While Using

Uber/LIFT

Staying Safe in the Classroom

January 16, MEC, from noon - 1 p.m. Room 252

January 17, Loudoun Campus, from noon - 1 p.m. Room LC 315

January 18, Alexandria Campus, from noon - 1 p.m. Room AA 242

January 22, Annandale Campus, from noon - 1 p.m. Room CT 335

January 23, Woodbridge Campus from noon - 1 p.m. Room Seafeldt 104

January 24, Manassas Campus, from noon - 1 p.m. Room MH 206

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

1 NOVA Public Safety Newsletteryou with a virtual escort and a treasure trove of safety and security information. 3. Clery. On October 1st, as required by federal legislation, NOVA