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XVI. College Department Of Campus Safety And Police

Responsible for Maintenance: Chief of Police

Mission

The mission of the Richard Bland College (RBC) Department of Campus Safety & Police (“Department”) is to provide a safe and secure living, learning, and working environment for the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the College by actively pursuing a positive relationship with the campus community, preserving public order, , protecting the life and property of all, and providing education and training to law enforcement personnel and the College community. The Department is staffed by certified police officers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Department enforces all traffic, parking, and criminal laws on campus and provides initial emergency medical response to medical emergencies. The Department should be the first contact for any emergency and for assistance involving any criminal or policy violation. If counseling is needed after an incident, the police will connect the student with the appropriate counseling service. There are several emergency call boxes located at various sites across campus.

Contact the RBC Department of Campus Safety & Police at 804-862-6111 for all fire, medical, and police related emergencies. The department is located at 510 Carson Drive, next to the facilities building.

Emergency Call Boxes

Emergency call boxes are located strategically across campus. They are relatively simple to use and may be activated to request any type of assistance. Once a person presses the red button, the call box sends a message to the police officer’s radio from the particular call box that was activated. The police officer may communicate with the person via police radio until they arrive at the location.

Press and hold the red button to talk and then release the button to hear the police officer. If a student has any questions concerning the call boxes, please call Campus Safety and Police at (804) 862-6111.

Medical Needs

A student in need of medical attention should use the medical guide found in Appendix VIII for reference.

Campus Parking, Vehicle Registration, and Traffic Rules

This policy establishes parking and traffic rules and imposes the requirement of vehicle registration for faculty, students, and staff to park their vehicles on the College campus. All motor vehicles are subject to College traffic rules and Virginia traffic laws while on campus. The College assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to private property. All traffic signs must be obeyed. The operation of any motor vehicle in such a manner as to create excessive noise or smoke, or operation of any vehicle in a parking lot in an unsafe manner, will result in revocation of parking privileges. Pedestrians shall have the right-of-way at all times, on campus. The maximum speed for a vehicle on Johnson Road and Carson Drive is 25 miles per hour when classes are in-session.

The College parking and traffic rules are designed to allow safe pedestrian and vehicular movement, to ensure emergency vehicles and personnel access to buildings and spaces, to provide orderly parking of vehicles on campus, and to provide for an equitable distribution of parking spaces with appropriate priorities.

All information regarding these rules can be found in the Richard Bland College Policy Manual at https://www.rbc.edu/policy-manual-2019/campus-safety-and-police-policies/.

Campus Safety & Security

Students are urged to be cognizant of their safety and security needs while on and off campus. An escort service is available by contacting Richard Bland College (RBC) Police at 804-862-6111.

Students and other authorized personnel must utilize their RBC Identification Card (herein referred to as the “RBC Card”) issued by RBC. The RBC Card is issued to each student during their initial registration, and is valid their entire stay at RBC. The RBC Card provides access to services offered by the cafeteria, the Department of Athletics, the bookstore, and the library, as well as to the front door entrance to the residence halls. All cards will be deactivated at the close of each semester to ensure the residents’ safety and security. Carry your RBC Card with you at all times. There is a $20.00 fee for replacing a lost card. Please take note of the following:

  • Though RBC takes all reasonable precautions, our campus is a public area and therefore not immune to the dangers of modern society. Therefore, as RBC cannot absolutely guarantee the safety and security of the premises at all times, the College expects students to take reasonable precautions to protect themselves and their property.
  • Residents may not lend their RBC Card to anyone; your RBC Card is for your use only.

Failure to comply with this requirement will result in immediate disciplinary action as it endangers the safety of all residents.

  • Do not hold the front door open for other people. All authorized residents have an access card.
  • Do not prop doors open. For safety and security reasons, exterior, stairwell, and fire doors should never be propped or intentionally unsecured at any time.
  • Keep your residential room door locked at all times.
  • Immediately report a lost key or lost access card to the Office of Residence Life or the Department of Campus Safety & Police.
  • Do not allow other students to borrow your key or access card.
  • Report doors that do not close and/or lock, lights that do not work, or any other safety or security problem in your academic building or residential building to the Office of Residence Life or the Department of Campus Safety & Police.
  • Report suspicious circumstances (people or events) to the residence hall staff or RBC Department of Campus Safety & Police.
  • The roofs, attics, and mechanical equipment rooms of all college buildings are restricted areas and may not be entered.

Bomb Threats
All bomb threats will be considered real. The person receiving the bomb threat call should then immediately call the Department of Campus Safety & Police at 804-862-6111. Similarly, suspicious packages, boxes, or other containers containing possible explosive devices or contaminants should not be handled by students and police should be contacted immediately.

Fire Evacuation Procedures
Students are required to know and understand the following procedure for evacuating a campus building when the fire alarm is activated. Richard Bland College will not be held liable for students demonstrating noncompliant evacuation behaviors.

General rules for fire evacuation

  1. When the fire alarm sounds, all occupants must leave the building immediately.
  2. No one is to return to the building until the RBC Campus Police or designees give permission.
  3. All persons should proceed to the nearest parking area and must stand at least 50 feet away from the buildings.
  4. All persons must stand clear of roadways to allow firefighting equipment to reach buildings.

In case of an actual fire

  1. Pull alarm and evacuate the building.
  2. Call Campus Police at 804-862-61111.
  3. Fire alarm pull stations are to be used only for fire and fire drills.

Bicycle Policy
All bicycle users must adhere to the Virginia laws relating to bicycles. Bicycle racks are provided by the College for students to secure their bikes. Locking or leaning bicycles against poles, buildings, benches, trees, signs, porch railings, and other college property is prohibited.

Skateboard Policy
Richard Bland College does not authorize activities that have the potential to create excessive noise or inflict damage upon college property or cause physical injury. Students are expected to use good judgment and common sense when riding bicycles, skateboards, longboards, scooters, and rollerblades on campus. Hoverboards are banned from campus due to fire hazards. The College permits the use of skateboards on the campus sidewalks only. Skateboards may not be used on the streets, campus roads, buildings, the building porches, or on the walkway between the campus and the Student Village.

Fire Safety

Richard Bland College places high importance on promoting fire safety and encouraging all students to take personal responsibility in this area. Students will participate in regular fire drills and attend periodic fire safety programs in order to understand how to manage the risks and respond appropriately in case of emergency. Students living on campus must exercise care and caution to prevent fires. All students and visitors must abide by all fire safety regulations. Fire safety equipment is installed in each building on campus. Students or guests are not permitted to tamper with fire safety equipment, including fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, sprinklers, and fire exit doors. Setting off false alarms or discharging fire extinguishers are serious violations. Students and guests are not permitted to have in campus buildings items with open flames, including, but not limited to candles, hot plates, grills, and space heaters. Residential students should review the non-permitted items list for a complete listing. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to reject any electrical appliance that it considers as potentially hazardous to the safety of students and others. All students are expected to observe the following regulations critical to the prevention of residence hall fires:

  1. The use or possession of any dangerous chemical or explosive material, such as fireworks, gun powder, gasoline, etc., is prohibited within the residence halls.
  2. The integrity of all ceilings, floors, and walls must remain intact and not be disturbed. Light fixtures must have a proper globe or deflector in place. Any open bulb fixtures are a fire hazard and must be reported to ORL.
  3. The possession or use of halogen lamps is prohibited.
  4. The possession, lighting, or burning of candles, incense, oil lamps, gas lanterns, outdoor grills, or any device capable of producing an open or enclosed flame or odor is prohibited in all student residences.
  5. Students found to be tampering with fire alarms, smoke detectors, or fire extinguishers are subject to RBC disciplinary action and legal prosecution. The same sanctions apply for calling an ambulance or firefighting apparatus without just cause.
  6. Window decorations other than college furnished shades, drapes, or blinds may be used but must carry a recognized fire rating and be constructed of fire retardant material.
  7. According to the International Fire Code 805.1.2, adopted as law by the Commonwealth of Virginia, no more than 10% of a residence hall room’s wall surface area may be covered by potentially flammable objects. This includes but is not limited to posters, framed pictures, photos, flags, tapestries, or any other decorative object that that is mounted on the wall. Residents in residence hall rooms that approach or surpass this 10% level may be required to remove items as necessary to comply with fire safety requirements. Additional wall coverings (e.g. paneling, wallpaper, tapestries, etc.) may not be installed by occupants. In addition, wall hangings should not come into contact with electrical outlets or come closer than 12 inches to the heating unit. Hanging any object or item from ceilings or fire sprinkler heads is prohibited.
  8. Room doors, corridors, stairways, and building exits must be kept clear of obstructions at all times. Fire doors on corridors and in stairways must be kept closed at all times.
  9. All residents and guests must evacuate any building in which a fire alarm sounds. Persons refusing to evacuate constitute a hazard to fire officials and will be subject to disciplinary action.

Student Handbook

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