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From NobleNewsOnline.com Chapter News
Baltimore. He worked mopping floors in Whitehurst Hall, an old nursing dormitory that once stood where the University of Maryland Medical Center’s emergency room stands today; he cleaned the restrooms in the Bressler Building, not the one typically recognized nowadays on Baltimore Street, but another that currently still exists along Greene Street behind the School of Social Work; but it was one night while cleaning in Howard Hall—then an administrative building that housed the human resources and personnel offices—that he noticed a flyer posted on a bulletin board: “Campus Police Vacancy.” “Why not?” recalled the young housekeeper. “I have nothing to lose.” He filled out the application and was shortly interviewed by Claude Spencer, then UMB’s director of public safety. “Man, you’re awfully short,” said Spencer during the initial interview of the 21 year old man standing only five feet, two inches tall. Yet after carefully reviewing his application and noting his enthusiasm and strong desire to succeed, Spencer added, “But what you lack in stature, you make up in heart.” And with that Cleveland Barnes, fondly nicknamed “Junior” by his colleagues at that time, was hired as a patrol officer for the University Police. Barnes has worked tirelessly with the University Police since then and along the way earned degrees at Coppin State and Johns Hopkins Universities, rising through the ranks to become police chief and director of public safety in September 2007. In an interview only four months following his promotion to chief, he noted that much has changed since he first arrived on campus. During his 37-year career with the University Police, criminals have become more difficult to identify as they have adapted and become more adept at their crimes. “The old cliché was ‘a cop could tell the identity of a criminal,’” said Barnes. “Well today, you can’t.” Barnes emphasized that safety has improved on campus. Last year, there was a 22 percent reduction in crime, continuing a downward trend in annual reported crimes over the last three years. The presence of University Police has created a relative safe haven on campus grounds and thus pushed much of the criminalactivity into neighboring areas.“Certain types of crimes…like robbery, theft from auto, burglary…have risen on the peripheryof campus,” said Barnes. “Crime on university property is almost nonexistent.” He acknowledged that safety in Ridgely’s Delight remains a concern among many students, but concedes that the neighborhood falls under the jurisdiction of the Baltimore City Police. University Police has reached out to the neighborhood community association in offering them assistance with photograph line-ups, training in identifying suspicious behavior, and in serving as a liaison to the Baltimore City Police. UMB’s Safety Awareness Committee, which Barnes chairs, also has a representative from Ridgely’s Delight. With the construction and opening of the new BioPark buildings, the University Police presence has extended further into west Baltimore beyond Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. “I can assure you, it was Dodge City,” said Barnes at a January Safety Awareness Committee meeting in reference to the area now occupied by the BioParks. “Not a day that I went over there didn’t I wear a bullet-proof vest.” Prostitution, robbery, carjackings, and homicides were reported within a half block of Baltimore Street prior to the development of the BioParks, according to Barnes. He cited first-hand accounts from nearby residents of the improvement in safety in the area. “We’ve got comments from the community association like, ‘I haven’t been able to sit on my porch for fifteen years until you guys came over.’” Much student concern has focused on the safety of crosswalks on campus, particularly after a School of Dentistry staff member was fatally struck while crossing the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Baltimore Street. It was an intersection that was long recognized as dangerous, said Barnes. “We have been communicating about it to Baltimore City officials for years now and repeatedly requesting improvements in the flow of traffic and pedestrian movement at the intersection.” Recently, a number of improvements have been made to the intersection including the repainting of the crosswalk lines, the installation of a countdown crossing signal, and the placement of a “no turn on red” sign. Barnes does not advocate for a pedestrian crosswalk or tunnel because both routes can leave users vulnerable to criminals in enclosed spaces. However, he believes that other pedestrian safety measures should be taken at the intersection “It’s my opinion that it should be a four-way stop [in the timing of the traffic lights to allow pedestrians to cross],” said Barnes. He admitted concern that the eventual construction of the School of Pharmacy Annex could lead to similar difficulties for pedestrians headed to or from the BioPark and crossing at the corner of Fayette Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At other highly traversed crosswalks around campus, Barnes has directed his department to place signs in the center of city streets reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians. “We repeatedly put pedestrian crosswalk signs on the road at our own expense, though city officials would come and remove them,” said Barnes, “until finally…they relented.” He encourages students who are concerned about pedestrian safety to contact university administrators, student government, and the city’s traffic and transportation division to continue advocating for crosswalk improvements. With the expansion of the campus, the University Police force has grown and additional facilities are planned to better accommodate the department. Many police officers and staff are scattered throughout buildings across the campus. In the short term, a new full-service, police substation opened on January 28 at 1 North Poppleton Street in the BioPark garage. In addition, the current Student Center on Pine Street will be converted to police use once the new Campus Center is completed on Lombard Street. Looking back on his police career, his greatest accomplishment has been leading the department in attaining national law enforcement accreditation. According to Barnes, accreditation “brings you professionalism… that [the University Police has] met a higher standard than other law enforcement agencies.” University Police achieved accreditation in 1996 after a rigorous outside assessment, achieving standards that have challenged many local law enforcement agencies. While Barnes believes he was prepared for the challenges of being police chief, he was nonetheless surprised by the magnitude of the concerns and tasks that required his attention. “It’s lonely at the top because you don’t close the door…and say the workday has ended, because it doesn’t end,” said Barnes. “The phone rings, the Blackberry goes off…the one thing I wasn’t prepared for is the 25-hour day, 8-day week.” He credits his officers and staff, with whom he has built a strong rapport. “They feel that I have a better understanding of what their needs…are because in fact I have come from the street to the office,” said Barnes. “I’ve heard that people have described me as…the police officer’s chief.” When asked if he had any second thoughts, Barnes said, “If I had to do it all over again, I think I would do it the same way.” © Copyright 2008 by NobleNewsOnline.com |
