The Drexel Public Safety (DPS) team hopes everyone had a happy and safe winter break. Have you made any resolutions for 2022? Protecting Drexel’s campus is a resolution DPS vows to keep every year. As you kick off the new year, please take a few minutes to incorporate the following three actions to your list of resolutions to ensure a safe start to 2022 and to let DPS know how it can better serve the community.
Three Public Safety Resolutions for 2022
- Refresh Your Emergency Preparedness Plans. The new year is a perfect time to brush up on and make any necessary changes to your personal preparedness for emergencies. The essential elements of your emergency preparedness plan at Drexel are:
- Know who to call — and make it easy. Make sure 215.895.2222 (Drexel Public Safety) is in your mobile phone contacts list, and while you’re at it, remind a friend. This number connects you to the Drexel Public Safety Communications Center, staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week. When you call during an on-campus emergency, a Drexel dispatcher will answer and send help your way (you may also call 911 during any emergency). DPS strongly advises against sending an e-mail during an emergency.
- Know your location — and its emergency procedures. As you get settled back into your daily routine, familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Know the street addresses of your residence, classrooms and/or offices, and be aware of relevant building evacuation routes. Take time to do this exercise with other members of your household, and include a check of your smoke detector batteries.
- Get Ready for Winter Weather. December was unusually warm in Philadelphia, but January has brought colder temperatures and icy precipitation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides some useful tips and a handy infographic to help you plan for a winter weather emergency and prepare your home, car and household for extreme cold and snowfall. To ensure you are receiving timely updates on Drexel’s response to weather events, verify that the DrexelALERT system has your correct mobile phone number through DrexelOne. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management also has an alert system called ReadyPhiladelphia that provides advisories about emergencies, road closures, severe weather, and transit delays for the city overall. To receive these text alerts, simply text "ReadyPhila" to 888-777.
- Make a Date With Drexel Public Safety. A new year is a great time to learn new things, meet new people, and encourage friends to do the same. Drexel Public Safety invites you to get to know the DPS team and the resources they provide. Register for a virtual situational preparedness presentation (“Your Safety Is Our Goal”), join a Cocoa with Cops event, or participate in a self-protection class. More details on these events can be found in the “Community Commitments” section of this newsletter. And if you have additional ideas about how you’d like to engage with DPS, please email dps@drexel.edu. DPS is always looking for different ways to get to know all members of the Drexel community.
Get to Know DPS: Officer Morgan Meehan
Teamwork is crucial for effective security across all of Drexel’s three campuses. Get to know School Resource Officer (SRO) Morgan Meehan, who works on Queen Lane Campus.
Officer Meehan has been with Drexel Police for seven years, first as a dispatcher and then as an officer. Before coming to Drexel, he worked as an SRO in South Jersey for 25 years. Now he works primarily in Queen Lane, but you might also spot him in Center City where he fulfills certain responsibilities. As an SRO, Officer Meehan acts as a liaison between students, faculty and staff, and the judicial system. His favorite part of the job? Having meaningful interactions with students and staff. “I am not always solving crime, but I am always helping.… This job afford me those opportunities,” he said. Due to the steady positioning of an SRO, Officer Meehan is especially accessible to the community and works to ensure community members are properly accommodated.
Some fun facts about Officer Meehan: His wife is a registered nurse, he has three sons in their 20s, and he has a “loveable but obstinate dog” named Poppy. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle and playing a “mediocre” game of golf.
Officer Meehan’s message to the community is: “Safety and security is a shared responsibility. Please help me help those who trust me with their safety by following the rules. Simple things like propping doors and sharing Dragon Cards are against the rules and place everyone in jeopardy.”
Community Commitments
Share a Cup of Cocoa With DPS
Say hello to DPS at the first Cocoa With Cops of 2022! From now through March, Drexel Police is hosting monthly meet-and-greets, so that students, faculty and professional staff can warm up and say hello. Stop by the southeast corner of 33rd and Arch streets (near the entrance to Buckley Field). The next event is being held on Jan. 12 from 2–3:30 p.m., followed by Feb. 16 and March 9, also from 2–3:30 p.m.
Get the Scoop on Situational Preparedness
Stay prepared, not scared, this new year with guidance from Public Safety. Sign up for “Your Safety Is Our Goal,” DPS’ engaging community training on situational preparedness, happening monthly on Zoom. The next sessions are on Feb. 17, at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sign up for one of these scheduled events, or if you have a community or group you would like DPS to present to, or would like to propose an alternate presentation time, please contact Officer Tom Cirone at tjc94@drexel.edu or Officer Kim McClay at kam556@drexel.edu. See you there!
DUPD Table at Dragons Basketball Games
Drexel Police will be at select men’s and women’s basketball games this season, near the student section. Please stop by to say hello; they’d love to meet you, offer resources, help you register your property, or answer any other questions!
Important Reminders
We’re Here for You When You Need Us
Please call 215.895.2222 immediately if you experience or witness a crime. The Communications Center is staffed 24/7 to serve you, whether you choose to remain anonymous when making a report. It is vital that crimes are reported promptly to Drexel Police so that they can be investigated, and so that Public Safety can connect the victim(s) with proper resources.
Emergency Numbers
215.895.2222 or 911
TTY: 215.571.4141
Walking Escorts
215.895.2222
To learn more about Drexel Public Safety, visit drexel.edu/publicsafety.