January 2022

 

 
Jan. 14, 2022
 
Dear UMB Community:
 
The new year is a time to make resolutions — exercise at URecFit, engage with the Community Engagement Center, or maybe listen to Episode 10 of the “The UMB Pulse” podcast! These are all excellent resolutions.
 
For the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD), our resolutions remain the same: maintain a steadfast commitment to UMB’s core values; provide excellent customer service to our community; connect with our community in positive and meaningful ways; and, perhaps most of all, ensure the safety of our entire UMB community.
 
We are in the midst of another year of change. UMBPD is also changing — we continue to increase our robust training program, continuously evaluate our patrol strategies, expand our social work partnerships, and much more. Through it all, we remain committed to those resolutions. We remain committed to you. 
 
I want to wish you all a happy and hopeful new year.
 
Sincerely,
 
Thomas Leone, MSL
UMB Chief of Police
 
Safety Tip of the Month: Use Safe Walk/Safe Ride
You’ve heard our safety tips before: put away your cellphone when walking outside, walk in groups, stick to the major roads and avoid alleys. But what if you’re leaving work after dark and have no one to walk with? Call for a Safe Walk/Safe Ride!
 
Safe Walk is available 24/7 on campus by calling 410-706-6882. 
 
Safe Ride is available from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. on campus and in neighboring communities. Request a ride from the Mobile UMB App so you can track your driver and see when they will arrive. No smartphone? Call 410-706-6882 to request a ride. Learn more and read about our Safe Ride Ride-Along!
 
Eutaw Street Corridor Initiative
UMBPD and the School of Social Work (SSW) are working with stakeholders — including business owners, community activists, police, social workers, and returning citizens — to make Eutaw Street a safer, cleaner, and more welcoming community. Updates include:
 
  • Three community activists from the SONS (Saving Others Never Stops) of Phoenix have begun to made an impact on Eutaw Street over the past two months, including:
  • 42 engagements
  • 7 job referrals
  • 2 drug treatment referrals
  • 2 engagements with store owners
  • Kyla Liggett-Creel, PhD, LCSW-C, presented about healing-centered policing to the deans and vice presidents.
  • The UMBPD Community Outreach and Support Team is working with SSW interns to provide resources and case management to vulnerable populations.
 
Polar Bear Plunge Delayed Until March
The Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge benefiting Special Olympics Maryland has been delayed, but Chief Leone and Lt. Matthew Johnson are still Super Plunging! Our fearless Super Plungers will now dive 24 times into the Chesapeake Bay in 24 hours on March 18-19. Learn more and donate here.
HeartSmiles Youth Presents UMBPD with Artwork
In November, UMBPD welcomed visitors from HeartSmiles, a leadership development program for Baltimore City youth. One student, Jima Chester, returned Jan. 5 to present UMBPD with a painting she made of the department’s patch. 
 
“I painted the portrait for the police department out of appreciation for all their genuine efforts and success with caring, bonding, and teaching youth,” Jima says. “Being around them and being able to see some of the things they do and experience created transparency and vulnerability between me and officers. The painting was a thank you for them helping me understand their job and for them understanding me and for treating me as family.” Read more. 
 
UMB Is Early Adopter of FirstNet
UMB is one of the first universities in the country to use FirstNet to improve campus safety! FirstNet is a high-speed nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. Jonathan Bratt, MS, executive director, OEM, was invited by FirstNet to present on UMB’s innovative use of the technology with its police cellphones and patrol vehicles. Stay tuned for more information!
 
Emergency Management Kudos!
Christopher Stanton, MS, deputy director, OEM, was awarded a Bronze Medal of Valor and Certificate of Merit from the Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department. In early 2021, Stanton, a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department, used a Stop the Bleed kit when he saw a man bleeding in front of the University of Maryland Medical Center. Learn more.
 
OEM's Jonathan Bratt was awarded the American Red Cross Exemplary Service “Superman” Award. Bratt serves as a board member of the American Red Cross of Central Maryland and has volunteered more than 70 hours of his time. Learn more.
 
Reduce the Risk of Working Alone
As we try to limit on-site staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are fewer people around to help if an accident or injury occurs. Here are tips to help reduce the risk when working alone:
 
  • Know what to do in an emergency; have your updated emergency contact list on hand.  
  • Do not perform tasks that are not appropriate for working alone. 
  • Reduce the amount of hazardous materials used and do not work with highly reactive materials. 
  • Implement a buddy system; during reduced lab presence, check in on each other at regular intervals, use video conferencing, or coordinate to have another person within earshot but at a distance for high-hazard tasks.  
  • Work with your supervisor and fellow lab mates to create a plan to safely work alone if necessary.  
 
For more information on lab safety, visit the EHS website.
 
Space Heater Safety
Keep yourself and those around you safe when using space heaters. Always keep combustibles at least 3 feet away and make sure to turn the unit off when you leave the room. Learn more about space heater safety here.
 
Please visit umaryland.edu/police for more information
about the UMB Police Department. 
 
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