Police & Campus Safety
Triton College is one of the largest community colleges in Illinois. The campus stands on more than 100 acres and consists of 19 buildings. The Triton College Police Department protects and serves approximately 20,000 students and staff members year round.
The Triton College Police Department is commissioned with full police powers pursuant to the Illinois Compiled Statutes. The Police Department is a 24-hours a day, 7 days a week agency that enforces all state and local laws, as well as College rules and regulations. We are located on the second floor of N Building, Room 206 on the Triton College West Campus.
To contact the Triton College Police:
Phone: (708) 456-6911
TDD: (708) 452-8115
Fax: (708) 583-3119
See Something, Say Something
investigations@triton.edu
Non-Emergency Police Inquiries
tcpd@triton.edu
Building N, Room 206
River Grove, Illinois 60171
Policies and Procedures
The Triton College Police Department is under task to establish and/or improve procedures for informing students and staff about security procedures and practices. The Triton College Emergency Response Guide highlights some of the situations that may require police response and assistance, and gives the user guidance with handling the initial situation and contacting the proper personnel.
A Letter from the Chief of Police is circulated throughout campus and is available in the Police Department lobby. This letter highlights the authority and services of the Triton College Police Department and encourages the prompt reporting of crimes.
Each year, the Triton College Police Department initiates an annual postcard mailing to every student and employee of the college informing them of the availability of this report in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act. The Chief of Police takes any and all opportunities that become available to talk to students and staff about security and safety issues. Such opportunities may include, but are not limited to, in-service day training, business meetings and formal and informal gatherings.
Safety Tips
- There are House Phones (RED or BLACK) located throughout the buildings on campus. These phones may be used to contact us in an emergency, or just for service. There are also exterior emergency call boxes located on the majority of campus buildings. DIAL "11" to reach the Triton College Police for service. DIAL "911" for emergencies.
- Triton has four emergency phone towers located in and around the parking lots. These towers are equipped with emergency phones, blue strobes and Closed Circuit Television. Triton Police monitor parking lot activities via these CCTV cameras. Please take a moment to locate these towers for your safety.
- Leave your valuables at home and make sure your property is secured when at the school. Unattended backpacks, cell phones, laptops, coats, and purses invites criminal activity and the loss of your property. Also, we suggest that you program your cell phone to our direct number (708) 456-6911. This is for your safety if you are outside or inside and you are not near an Emergency Phone. You can contact us directly any suspicious activity or any other concerns you might be experiencing at the time. See Contact Information for additional phone numbers and staff listings, and services for a complete list of department services.
Crisis Management
The purpose of the Crisis Management Team (CMT) is to educate the campus community on proactive measures to mitigate the probability of a crisis. The team will forecast, evaluate, recommend and implement comprehensive strategies that identify safety and security concerns that meet the needs of the campus community.
Crisis Management Team Members
- William Justiz (Co-Chair), Adjunct Faculty
- Austin Weinstock (Co-Chair), TCPD Police Chief
- Derrell Carter, Associate V.P., of Communications & Institutional Advancement
- Michael Garrity, Associate V.P., Information Services
- John Lambrecht, Associate V.P., of Facilities
- Jackie Marx, Director of Health Services
- Sam Tolia, Director of Marketing
- Johnny Urbina, Director of Student Services
- Jamie DePaolo, Coordinator of Athletic Facilities & Special Events
- John Hansen, TCPD
- Debbie Banness-King, Dean of Student Services
- Leslie Wester, Counselor
Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT)
Triton College is committed to providing a supportive, safe, and welcoming college environment. The Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) is a multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional team charged with being the primary resource for proactively addressing student behavioral concerns that may result in risk of harm to self or others, or behaviors that significantly disrupt the learning environment.
The Behavioral Intervention Team investigates reports of concerning behavior on campus and seeks to identify and recommend appropriate steps. The team will follow up on the referral of concern and respond appropriately.
The BIT does not replace faculty classroom management and/or public safety responses to incidents. In the event of an emergency or crisis situation, call 911 or the Triton College Police Department at ext. 3206 or 708-456-6911.
Behavioral Intervention Team Members
- Dean of Student Services (Chair)
- Leslie Wester, Counselor
- Deborah Kaczmarek, Center for Access and Accommodative Services
- John Hansen, Police
- Dora Abbruscato, Student Services
The team will:
- Incorporate a formalized protocol of explicit engagement techniques and strategies.
- Facilitate a comprehensive reporting culture within the institution, supported by accessible data collection software managed by Maxient, LLC.
- Integrate campus and community resources such as emergency operations plans and emergency response procedures.
- Provide consultation and support to faculty, staff and administration in assisting students and employees who display concerning or disruptive behaviors.
- Gather information to assess situations involving students and employees who display concerning or disruptive behaviors.
- Evaluate appropriate intervention strategies or disciplinary sanctions.
- Connect students and employees with needed campus and community resources.
- Monitor ongoing behavior of students and employees who have displayed disruptive or concerning behavior.
BIT Resource Information and Forms
BIT FAQs
I'm concerned about a student. What should I do?
Should I talk to the student before making a referral?
I’m concerned but not sure whether or not I should refer. What should I do?
What happens now that I have submitted an incident report?
Am I violating FERPA/student privacy laws by submitting an incident report?
Responding to Students in Distress: Guidelines for Faculty and Staff
Identifying the Distressed Student
Tips for Responding to Students in Distress
Scenarios
Responding to a "Clingy" Student
Counseling Services Contact Information
Forms and Documents:
Incident Reporting Form
Triton Community College Referral Guide
Emergency Response Guide
This guide is available to all faculty, staff and students of Triton College. It provides general information on common emergency situations and provides guidance for the actions of citizens during these situations.
The emergencies presented in this guide are not all inclusive of every emergency situation that might occur, however, certain actions are common to most emergencies. Calm, decisive actions based upon common sense will normally be the correct course to provide for personal safety, to prevent property damage, and to prevent a situation from deteriorating.
Download the Emergency Response Guide
Emergency Notification System - Students
Triton College supports an emergency notification system. Triton’s Connect Ed emergency notification system will allow you to receive instant notifications by email, phone, and text message in the event of an emergency. You will not need to take steps for sign up as all students are automatically placed into the system.
Please visit the Student Portal to ensure your email address and phone number(s) are correct in our system. After logging in, update your contact information if needed. For more information regarding the Connect Ed emergency notification system, please review the questions and answers below.
How will I be notified in the case of an emergency?
Triton’s Connect Ed emergency notification system can send email, text messages, and call the phone number(s) of your contact information on file at Triton. If you are not available to answer the phone, the system will leave the message on voicemail.
Will I be charged for use of this system?
No, Triton College is adding this service to inform campus members in the event of an emergency or school closure. Please note however, if receiving a text message, you may be charged at your carriers standard text messaging rate.
May I opt-out of the emergency system?
This system was established only for emergency notification or school closure announcements. If you have a cell number listed as Alt/Cell Phone in your contact information with Triton, you will receive a text message when your account is automatically created in Connect Ed. Your initial text message will contain instructions if you wish to opt-out of text messaging. If you opt-out, your email address and phone number(s) still remain in the system for notification. Please note that T-Mobile currently asks there subscribers to opt-in to receiving text messages instead of opting-out.
If my cell number is on file with Triton, what will my initial confirmation text message look like?
The standard confirmation message is as follows:
Triton College: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP Triton" to opt-out.
Unlike most carriers who automatically opt-in recipients, T-Mobile requires that subscribers take steps to opt-in to receive Short Code Message. Therefore, the message sent to T-Mobile users will automatically be a different Confirmation Message that will ask them to reply to confirm they would like to receive messages:
Triton College: You asked to receive alerts. Please reply with “Y Triton” to confirm. More info text HELP.
Will I be automatically removed after leaving Triton?
Yes, users are added based on term enrollments. After you finish Triton or if you unenroll from all courses in the current term, your Connect Ed account will be removed.
Emergency Notification System - Faculty & Staff
Triton’s Connect Ed emergency notification system will allow you to receive instant notifications by email, phone, and text message in the event of an emergency. You will not need to take steps for sign up as all users are automatically placed into the system.
How will I be notified in the case of an emergency?
Triton’s Connect Ed emergency notification system can send email, text messages, and call the phone number(s) of your contact information on file at Triton. If you are not available to answer the phone, the system will leave the message on voicemail.
Will I be charged for use of this system?
No, Triton College is adding this service to inform campus members in the event of an emergency or school closure. Please note however, if receiving a text message, you may be charged at your carriers standard text messaging rate.
May I opt-out of the emergency system?
This system was established only for emergency notification or school closure announcements. If you have a cell number listed as Alt/Cell Phone in your contact information with Triton, you will receive a text message when your account is automatically created in Connect Ed. Your initial text message will contain instructions if you wish to opt-out of text messaging. If you opt-out, your email address and phone number(s) still remain in the system for notification. Please note that T-Mobile currently asks there subscribers to opt-in to receiving text messages instead of opting-out.
If my cell number is on file with Triton, what will my initial confirmation text message look like?
The standard confirmation message is as follows:
Triton College: You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply "HELP" or "STOP Triton" to opt-out.
Unlike most carriers who automatically opt-in recipients, T-Mobile requires that subscribers take steps to opt-in to receive Short Code Message. Therefore, the message sent to T-Mobile users will automatically be a different Confirmation Message that will ask them to reply to confirm they would like to receive messages:
Triton College: You asked to receive alerts. Please reply with “Y Triton” to confirm. More info text HELP.
Will I be automatically removed after leaving Triton?
Yes, only active faculty and staff members remain in the Connect Ed system.
RAVE Guardian App
Triton College is now offering Rave Guardian, a free mobile app that turns your smartphone into a personal safety device. The Rave Guardian App helps keep you safe on campus by giving you direct connections to campus police, family, friends, and others you trust, you can feel safe anytime, while at Triton College.
How does the Guardian app work?
Download app and set up an account. You must create your profile using your Triton College email account, in order to use the Triton functionality of the app. Users can add their name, campus address, medical notes and other pertinent information for campus safety in case of emergency. The Rave Guardian App can be downloaded in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store by searching for "Rave Guardian".
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- Add contacts to join your "Guardian network." Invite family, friends, or others to be your Guardian, and communicate with them within the app as needed.
- The app also allows for easy emergency communication. In an emergency situation, one button in the app directly connects the user to campus police or 9-1-1.
- If you see something, you can send an anonymous tip to our campus police through the app's 'Send Anonymous Tips' feature.
- If for any reason you feel unsafe, you can set a Safety Timer with your Guardians.
- For instance, imagine walking across campus alone at night. The walk back to the bus stop usually takes about 10 minutes. In the app, you can set up a 10-minute safety timer with your personal Guardian contacts. If you don't deactivate the safety timer after 10 minutes, your Guardians will be immediately be notified.
- Guardians will also have access to important details such as phone location on a map and contact information.
Police Department Services
- Police Escorts for Your Safety, Upon Request
- Foreign Language Translation Bank
- Police Information Visits and Crisis Management Seminars
- Identification Engraver
- Emergency Crisis Notification
- Rules of the Road Manuals (In English, Spanish, and Polish)
- State of Illinois Road Maps
- Lost and Found
- Jump Starts, Air Compressor Service for Flat Tires, Tools provided for Auto Lock Outs and Flat Tire Changes (In cooperation with the TCSA and a Free Service to the User)
Jeanne Clery Act Statistics
In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Triton College Police Department has published security policies and procedures, daily incident logs 2017, Clery crime reports, and annual activity and crime reports.
Jeanne Clery Act and Crime Statistics