THE BLUE BOOK Incident Response Handbook Third Edition, Fall 2008
Campus Patrol Staff:
Alex Booth, Director Chelsea Dahl, Associate Director Amory Meltzer, Senior Supervisor Alex Schiavo, Senior Supervisor Chris Dieguez, Supervisor Kim Hrycik, Supervisor Aaron Lefkowitz, Supervisor Sarah Matherly, Supervisor Zak Ratajczak, Supervisor James Thajudeen, Supervisor
This handbook was designed to supplement the Incident Response Training given every semester. In the course of Patrol’s operation every night, there is a wide variety of incidents which may occur, and the purpose of the IRT training, as well as this book, is to provide a comprehensive guide for how to deal with these situations. It is important to remember in any situation to observe some basic guidelines. First, if you ever have to deal with anyone, whether they are members of the Vassar community or not, be polite. If you ever encounter a situation which you are not comfortable with, notify U5 immediately by requesting a discreet 2-5 and let him or her help deal with it. Also, never transmit sensitive information over the radio that could violate an individual’s confidentiality rights, including names or certain details about the incident (which will be gone into later). In the same spirit, remember that any details about an incident or anything that happens during your night of patrol should remain strictly confidential. You may talk to supervisors, Security, or any other patrollers who were involved about an incident, but it should not go beyond that. No matter what situation with which you are dealing, with the notable exception of sexual assaults, the most important thing to remember is to contact U5 as soon as possible with a description of the incident and anyone involved, along with any direction in which those individuals may be travelling. If you can communicate nothing else about a situation, make sure you do this; otherwise U5 and Security are unable to deal with the situation. You may notice a lack of particular radio protocol in this book. This is because rather than concentrate on standardized formulae for talking over the radio, it’s more important to emphasize what is actually necessary to communicate about specific situations. If you ever feel you don’t know what to call in to U5, just be as clear and concise as possible as to what is going on, and he or she will prompt you with what should be done or what, if any, additional information is needed. Some of these incidents may seem, and in fact are, very rare, but it is important to remember that it is the responsibility of Campus Patrol to ensure they are planned for, no matter how likely or unlikely they may be. The purpose of this book is for the people involved in an incident, including patrollers, to make sure that, should any of these situations be encountered, they are dealt with properly and safely. Non-Students Non-students are defined as anyone on campus after 10pm who does not belong to the Vassar community, meaning they are not a student, professor, house-fellow, family member of a house-fellow, or an employee of the College. If an individual does not fall into one of these categories they are not allowed to be on campus after 10pm, and U5 should be contacted immediately. It may sometimes be difficult to judge whether or not an individual is a student. Patrol has drawn the line at requiring there to be some identifiable activity which marks them out as possible non-students. This means a non-student should not be identified on the grounds of their appearance, including attire, ethnicity, or any physical characteristic. Acceptable reasons include, but are not limited to, acting disoriented and asking directions.
There is a definite line between the activities which might identify someone as a non-student and those which make someone a suspicious individual. If an individual is harassing students, causing damage to property or other people on campus, or simply making members of the Vassar community uncomfortable, they should be treated as suspicious individuals. After you have identified a possible non-student, contact U5 immediately, and give him or her the individual’s description and location, making sure to identify the individual(s) as possible non-student(s). U5 will then notify Security and they will deal with the situation. A patroller should never approach a possible non-student, and a safe distance should always be maintained from the individual. However, if possible, the individual should always be kept in visual contact so that changes in status may be conveyed to U5. U5 should also be notified if visual contact with the individual has been lost. Do: Notify U5 immediately, giving a description of the individual, direction, and location. Maintain a safe distance from and visual contact with the individual. In the case that the individual(s) involved should change location or start doing something else, notify U5 immediately. Don’t: Approach the individual or otherwise draw attention to yourself. Call in an individual based upon appearance--including attire, ethnicity, or any physical characteristic.
Suspicious Individuals A suspicious individual is defined as, but not limited to, anyone who is harassing people on campus, causing damage to property or individuals, or simply making people uncomfortable. This can include students or non-students. No matter what the situation, they should never be approached. Notify U5 immediately, and Security will handle the situation. There must be some identifiable activity that distinguishes someone as a suspicious individual. As with non-students, you must not call in individuals based upon their appearance. Remember to notify U5 as to the exact reason for which you are calling them in, as that will help Security deal with the situation. With suspicious individuals, it’s important to give U5 a description of the activity for which they are being called in, a description of the people in question, and their location. Always maintain enough distance between yourself and the activity to ensure your safety, while attempting to maintain visual contact with it so that you can notify U5 of any changes. If you lose contact with the incident or individual(s) for any reason, notify U5 and Security will continue to deal with the situation. If an individual is called in who is carrying a weapon of some sort, U5 might request that all patrollers immediately proceed inside the nearest building for their own
safety. While doing this, be aware of the location of the individual called in, and make sure that you do not pass through or near that area. Never attempt to deal with someone who has a weapon, and if you encounter someone with one, notify U5 immediately with their description and location, and stay a very safe distance away from them. Do: Notify U5 immediately, giving a description of the individual and activity, direction, and location. Maintain a safe distance from the individual and visual contact. In the case that the individual(s) involved should change location or start doing something else, notify U5 immediately. Don’t: Approach the individual or otherwise draw attention to yourself. Call in an individual for any reason other than the activities described above.
Fights in Progress In the case of fights in progress, the same general principles should be applied as with all incidents. Make sure that you maintain a safe distance from the fight, and notify U5 immediately as to what is going on along with a description, direction, and location of the people involved in it. U5 will then prompt you to maintain visual contact with the individuals, and to notify him or her if the situation changes. Never get personally involved in a fight, or use physical force unless compelled to for your own protection. If you feel comfortable doing it, you can throw your PAAL to try to break up the fight, but in any case ensure your safety by staying away from the incident and notifying U5 immediately. Do: No matter what, stay a safe distance from the fight. Notify U5 immediately of the description and location of the individuals involved, and then remain in the area until Security can respond, all the while ensuring your own safety. Remain in the area with anyone left behind. Once Security is in the area, remain there until U5 can meet you with further instructions. Don’t: Try to break up the fight yourself or draw unnecessary attention to yourself. Pursue anyone who leaves the scene of a fight. If anyone involved breaks off, notify U5 of his/her description and direction. Call in a fight unless it is clearly an incident, and not people just having fun.
Depending upon the nature of the incident, you may be requested to remain in the area to help Security and the Police fill out a report. U5 should be there with you to help with the process, and you will be paid for any extra time spent at work.
Medical Distress If, while you are patrolling, you come across someone who is injured and needs medical attention, you should call U5 immediately. It’s important to give the location of the individual(s) involved, as well as to provide a description of the nature of the injuries. This will better enable U5 to contact Security and make sure that the correct medical help is dispatched. For the purposes of liability, anyone who is suffering from memory loss or other major head injuries, severe loss of blood, was or is unconscious, or has a broken bone or difficulty breathing needs to be called into U5, whether they want medical attention or not. However, in the case of more minor injuries, it’s up to the person in question as to whether or not they need help. You can aid in this decision by providing them with options, those being EMS, Baldwin, or an ambulance. It’s important to remain with whomever is injured until proper medical help has arrived, and to notify U5 if the situation changes or the person’s condition changes. Once EMS or an ambulance is there, you can resume normal patrol. If it is requested, you can accompany him or her to the hospital or Baldwin, and you will be paid for any extra time you work while doing this.
Discreet 2-5s A discreet 2-5 is used when a patroller cannot communicate details about a situation over the radio. This could go from something as simple as a patroller being sick and needing to go home to more serious incidents like a sexual assault. Essentially, this is for when, for the purposes of confidentiality, or because you need help in dealing with a situation, you need U5 to meet you immediately without the presence of any other patrollers. It’s important to differentiate requesting a normal 2-5 from a discreet one, as the latter is automatically assumed to be of a serious nature. Discreet escorts can also be requested. This is for any case when you are escorting an individual and need to keep the destination confidential. A patroller can request a discreet escort for someone who’s sick or for any other serious reason needs a private and confidential escort. During a discreet escort you may go inside buildings, as long as it’s in the process of performing that escort, and U5 will not call you for any reason. A discreet situation can also be called in, in the case of something like a sexual assault, when you as a patroller need to handle an incident without U5 calling you or requesting a 2-5. In any case, once you’ve finished with a discreet escort or situation, report 10-50 and U5 will meet you immediately to make sure everything is alright.
Sexual Assaults It is imperative, for your safety and the safety of everyone involved, that a situation like a sexual assault is handled as smoothly and properly as possible. It is very important that if you encounter an incident like this, you know what needs to be done and who needs to be notified, more so than with any other situation. If you encounter a sexual assault in progress, notify U5 immediately, giving as good a description of the individuals involved as you can, as well as their location. If it is the case, however, that you come across one that has already happened, or individuals involved flee the scene, the situation needs to be handled very delicately. First of all, always remain with the survivor. Don’t call in any fleeing individuals until you’ve talked with him or her, and assessed the situation. Get down on the same level as the survivor, and make sure that you do your best to seem as non-threatening as possible. In order to ensure that he or she is comfortable with your help, be aware of any resemblance you might have to the attacker. The immediate issue is the survivor’s safety. If they are seriously injured, medical help must be requested from U5. Once the survivor’s safety is ensured, there are some things you need to find out about the situation. If the attacker is unknown, or if there was a weapon or the use of physical force was involved, U5 must be notified immediately and you should call in a description and direction of anyone fleeing the scene if you can. On the other hand, if this is not the case, the survivor can make the decision as to whether or not they want the matter pursued. If they decide not to, you can offer them an escort back to their dorm, and make sure to tell U5 privately about the incident. In the case that force was used, or the survivor wishes to press charges, he or she needs to be told about their options. They have the choice of getting in contact with CARES, TLC, a friend, or the Administrator on Call. For medical help EMS or an ambulance can be requested, or Security can be notified. If the survivor wishes to press charges, they’ll need to go to the hospital for a rape-kit. Make sure they know that this is an option that will be necessary for any criminal proceedings, as well as being an invasive procedure that requires that they go directly to the hospital without changing clothes or taking a shower. As with some other incidents, you may be requested to accompany an individual to the hospital or Baldwin. You can do this, but make sure that U5 is notified and can meet with you before you go. If you encounter an incident like this, make sure to notify U5 that you are involved in a discreet situation. If at any time you don’t know what to do and need help, request a discreet 2-5 from U5 and he or she will meet you immediately. It’s extremely important in the case of an incident like this that all its details remain completely confidential, so do not discuss it with anyone except for possibly a supervisor, a member of Security, or another patroller who was involved.
Phone Numbers: The Campus Response Center (CRC) can be reached at 7333 for emergencies and 5221 for non-emergencies. Those numbers can also be used to contact the Administrator on Call or CARES. The latter, the Counselling and Assistance in Response to Rape and Exploitive Sexual Activity, is a counselling service that can be used in the case of a sexual assault. Additionally, The Listening Center, at 7136 can be contacted for confidential peer counselling if needed.