The Williams College Campus Safety & Security Department is available 24 hours a day to assist all members of the College community. Mission Statement
Security Programs
No community can expect to eliminate crime, but Williams College is strongly committed to providing resources that promote personal safety, campus security, and a safe environment. The College's CSS program includes a number of professional, educational, and preventative components.
The Campus Safety & Security Department (CSS) is located in the basement of Hopkins Hall. The phone number is (413) 597-4444. CSS reports to the Dean of the College. The CSS staff includes the director, associate director, an operations supervisor, two (2) patrol supervisors, a security systems coordinator, a secretary, ten (10) full-time officers, two (2) part-time officers, three (3) full-time dispatchers, and three (3) part-time dispatchers. The department provides protection and services 24 hours a day.
All officers complete the New England Campus Security Officer Training Academy, a week-long, live-in training academy held at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Officers also attend workshops and training seminars that are relevant to campus safety and security. Crime prevention information, security surveys, and presentations are available through crime prevention officers who are trained and certified through the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council.
Campus Safety & Security officers do not have powers of arrest but cooperate with local law enforcement agencies. CSS and the Williamstown Police Department monitor each other's radio transmissions.
CSS maintains four fully equipped cruisers and also offers a bike patrol. CSS officers patrol the College's buildings and grounds. In many cases, they are the first to respond to emergencies on campus.
Students should telephone x4444 to report any incident that appears suspicious or to report any crimes. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, the Town of Williamstown provides an enhanced 911 emergency service. In the event of such an emergency, students should immediately dial 9-911 from any campus phone, or dial (413) 458-5646 if using a cell phone. CSS officers will provide mutual aid to the local police, ambulance or fire department. CSS officers are first responder trained.
CSS officers enforce College rules and regulations, issue parking tickets, respond to fire alarms, card access door alarms, and intrusion alarms. CSS provides many routine services to the community, including the unlocking of rooms for authorized members of the student body, faculty, or staff.
Non-emergency requests for service or assistance may have to be delayed while officers respond to emergency calls.
During the academic year, the department provides a student security monitor patrol and escort service during evening hours.
In addition to patrolling buildings and grounds, CSS is responsible for student I.D. photographs, registration of motor vehicles, enforcement of parking regulations, and maintaining a lost and found department. The Campus Safety and Security Office is open for these services Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm. CSS also investigates accidents and complaints and provides transportation to sick or injured students.
Sick or injured students may request transportation to the Health Center or other medical facilities within two miles of the campus, and to and from classes or other college educational functions. Transports between the College and North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) for drinking-related cases and other medical emergencies will be handled by Village Ambulance Service (911). Transports to the NARH Emergency Room for non-emergency treatment or evaluation, when an ambulance or EMT assistance is not required, may be provided by CSS. All medical transports are contingent on the availability of CSS officers and the staffing of the department. Students are encouraged to utilize public transportation, a taxi service, or a friend with a vehicle.
Students requesting escort service will be transported by a CSS officer or, within a reasonable walking distance, accompanied by student escorts through the Student Escort Service at x4400. CSS transportation is not available for purely social activities, to transport luggage or other personal belongings, or to serve as a taxi service in bad weather.
Items turned in to the lost and found are tagged and stored for six months before disposal. Items can be claimed at the CSS Office during regular business hours. Lost items can be reported to the CSS Office 24 hours a day.
Students should lock their rooms and carry their room keys with them. CSS will open or lock a room once without charge during the academic year. There will be a $10.00 charge for each additional request.
