Moraine Valley Community College is a safe place for students, faculty, staff, and guests visiting the campus. Recent rankings by stateuniversity.com place Moraine Valley as the 10th most safe community college campus in the country, and lendEDU ranked Palos Hills, home of Moraine Valley, the 51st safest college town in the United States.
According to this year’s stateuniversity.com survey, Moraine Valley moved up three spaces from number 13 two years ago to number 10. This survey compares the top 500 community colleges from around the country using 2015 crime statistics per student and staff population.
Additionally, Moraine Valley ranked 29th against 450 of the top rated large state universities, small private institutions and business colleges in all categories.
“The college has repeatedly been in the top 15 nationally for campus safety. The campus Police Department is the primary investigative agency for all three campuses and has been recognized as a leader in its preparedness efforts. A safe campus is a cooperative effort between the campus police department, our regional policing partners, and all students and staff,” said Moraine Valley police Chief Pat O’Connor.
Using the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s newest violence and property crime data, lendEDU ranked Palos Hills, Illinois, as the 51st Safest College Town in the United States. Moraine Valley is the only higher education institution in Palos Hills. American towns that are home to at least one two-year or four-year college campus were included.
“Palos Hills and Moraine Valley have a symbiotic relationship,” said Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett. “Our police departments work closely with each other to maintain a high level of safety for our residents and students. We are partners in regional task force efforts as well as mutual aid agreements. These rankings are proof that our collaboration is creating a safe environment for anyone who visits our area, and they are something both the city and college can be proud of.”
Moraine Valley’s campus Police Department employs 24 fully-trained sworn officers, who patrol the campus grounds and buildings 24 hours every day. They are supported by 29 dispatchers, community service officers (CSOs) and support staff in the department. The department acts as a resource for students and staff with training programs and internships. Many CSOs are enrolled in the college’s Criminal Justice program. In addition to their classroom training, they get hands-on experience in community college security and in a department that operates like many municipal departments.
The campus Police Department regularly trains in active shooter responses, officers serve on several regional task forces that support regional policing efforts, and its members staff the Campus Behavior Threat Assessment team (an early warning protocol to handle students, staff and visitors who are at risk). The college has been recognized by the National Weather Service for its exceptional preparedness efforts by gaining its “Storm Ready Campus” designation, one of the few colleges to do so.
“The efforts of the local community police departments is bolstered by the level of training and competency of the Moraine Valley Police Department; serving the Palos Hills, Blue Island and Tinley Park campuses,” Chief O’Connor said.
