A quiet Claflin: Police chief provides security updates

Chief Melvin Williams speaks to Panther reporters on March 26.

“Things have been quiet, especially since homecoming,” said the executive director of Claflin University Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Chief of Police Melvin Williams spoke with Panther reporters to discuss updates regarding Claflin public safety.  He said there have been no major issues at Claflin.

“I am very pleased to say we’ve been successful,” Williams said.

Previously, Claflin security struggled with Orangeburg residents coming on campus and breaking into cars. In response to the car break-ins, Claflin security strengthened its surveillance of the parking lot.

“We took some additional efforts to try to prevent that from happening,” Williams said.

According to Williams, there were no car break-ins in the fall semester and one attempted break-this semester.

Williams believes the lack of break-ins is due to his team's diligence in security efforts, providing additional safety resources “with a purpose,” and increasing communication with the campus.

“We are showing more due diligence in terms of addressing that specific problem. … I thank our communications with the campus community, because when we get something like that, when we have concerns, we try to get something out to the entire campus community,” Williams said.

Students are becoming engaged with the security process, Williams said., increasingly reporting unfamiliar activities on campus.

“We have received more phone calls over the past semester and into this semester than we ever had in the past,” Williams said.

Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack asked Williams to complete the Goff Avenue project after the previous director of facilities accepted another position. 

The gravel lot area near the gym will be blocked off, according to Williams. Students, faculty and staff will use their ID cards or key fobs to access the block areas.

“Students, for instance, faculty, staff, your ID cards will be programmed,” Williams said. 

Individuals without proper identification will not be able to bypass the gate. The individuals would have to buzz in to access the campus.

“We’ll have a video box there where they’ll need to buzz in, and they buzz into public safety to request access, Williams said.

The security of Goff Avenue is hoped to be completed by the start of the next academic year, Williams said.

“My goal is by August,” Williams said.

Williams wants to increase the work he does, but funding is an issue.

“We are slowed down on what we want to do and what we want to put in place by the lack of funding,” Williams said.

Claflin's status as a private institution means departments such as public safety operate with tuition dollars and without government funding, he said.

Williams compares Claflin to South Carolina State University, saying SC State receives funding because of its status as a state institution.

“We’re different from next door. After the incident that occurred recently next door, there was a news report out where they were petitioning the state for $8 million to put into public safety. We can’t get those dollars,” Williams said.

Since speaking with The Panther reporters in the fall semester, Williams said there has been no increase in funding. But he understands how to operate within a limited budget.

“One the things I learned in my many, many, many years of being in law enforcement, especially being a manager, is how to take the resources that I have and sometimes reallocate those resources to get some of things that we need,” Williams said.

Parking enforcement is used to increase public safety funding. When individuals do not purchase a permit or park in the wrong area, public safety writes citations.

“That funding is then rolled back into helping to do the type of things that we need,” Williams said.

The funding earned from citations allowed Williams to purchase security technology for Claflin.

“So that's how I paid for the cameras and the license plate readers,” Williams said.

On March 20, Claflin held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new biotechnology and innovation center. Williams said the new building will not affect parking.

“From the architectural drawing I’ve seen, it’s not going to take up any of the parking that currently exists,” Williams said.

The gravel lot that is next to Highrise will house additional parking spaces.