In the late 1980s, Doug Richards, current director of the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Public Safety, remembers working out of a space with four small office areas. The Southeast public safety dispatch center consisted of a desk and chair, a telephone and a small radio.

At the Department of Public Safety's current location on Sprigg Street -- in front of the Show Me Center's main entrance -- the communication and dispatch center is set to monitor the schools' more than 300 campus security cameras and extensive safety features.

Richards, public safety officers and administration staff moved into the Sprigg Street location just before the beginning of the fall semester.

"We do have more square footage here, but the main thing we have here is the way it was organized," Richards said. "The space utilization is the key here in our new facility. It's in a ... more accessible location, where response times will be quicker."

The "brains" of the facility, or the communications center, is the last area to be finished at the location. The center will be used to take 911 calls, dispatch police officers and monitor emergency phones on every floor in all university buildings and spread around campus.

Richards said it'll be another three to six weeks before the move is complete because of computer system upgrades and connections that must be made to the security cameras, fire and panic alarms around campus. FCC requirements also must be met to license video and radio frequencies.

"You can't just move us overnight anymore. It takes long-term planning," Richards said. "It was almost half of the cost of the entire renovation process to move and update our communications unit."

When developing ideas for the location, staff focused on the department being student, parent and community friendly. They also wanted crime victims to feel comfortable seeking help, so the location features several private meeting rooms. It's also equipped with training rooms for campus police officers and a conference room. The office will serve as the emergency operations center in the case of a disaster situation, Richards said.

Additional storage space allows the department to keep campus police records organized and evidence stored in a limited-access room. There's also a room equipped with a video and audio recording system for interviews.

"All felony interviews or interrogations must be recorded with audio and video," Richards said.

The department has more than a new home to be brag about. Because of the department's efforts, Southeast was recognized as the safest campus in Missouri. The rating was complied from data campuses submit to the United States Department of Education.

Federal legislation passed in 1991 requires campuses to submit annual crime statistics.

"We're proud of it," Richards said. "This is a major plus for the university when recruiting and it lets the parents know we're doing things here to ensure the safety of the kids."

ehevern@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent Address:

1146 N. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, MO