THE PENDULUM
Elon, North Carolina • Wednesday, March 5, 2014 • Volume 40, Edition 6
Blue lights aim to
prevent crime at
cost to university
Michael Bodley
News Editor
A w'alk across Elon University’s campus
in the middle of the night is never complete
ly pitch-black, thanks in large part to the 31
blue light emergency response systems that
illuminate the darker reaches of campus.
The blue lights, which cost $5,000 to
install and have yearly electricity fees, are
a necessary crime deterrent on campus, ac
cording to Dennis Franks, Elon University
police chief. The systems function on a dis
tress button that imm.ediately calls police to
the scene, with the goal of a two-minute re
sponse time.
Though the blue lights have been pressed
accidentally twice and have never been used
for a real emergency in the two years since
Franks has been at Elon, he said statistics
can’t accurately reflect the number of poten
tial crimes the system has prevented.
“To me, it’s a good deterrent that if some
thing happens around those blue lights, the
person knows they have access and can get
emergency services there quickly,” Franks
said.
Even in places without blue lights, though
they are few and far between, someone is
usually watching. In a move to increase cam
pus security and safety, the university, under
the guidance of the Elon University Police
Department and others, approved a sub
stantial increase in the number of cameras
around campus, from just over 200 to more
than 300 cameras this year.
The department maintains a 24/7 call
center in its Oaks area office. The police pre
cinct also features a video dashboard that
flicks between the 300-odd cameras around
campus, many of which are located in park
ing lots and other areas off the beaten path.
SeeUGTHSpage4
www.efonpendylum.com
CAROLINE OLNEY I Photo Editor / DESIGN BY TERRENCE MCLAUGHLIN, Design Editor
J.R. Goode is a level-one engineer at the Elon Fire Department. Goode said every fire-related alert recieved at the station is treated as an emergency.
Katy Canada
Managing Editor
The Elon Fire Department responded
to 216 calls from Elon University in 2013,
and each one of them came at a price. Each
time the fire department is dispatched, it
costs the department $400 to $500, accord
ing to Elon Fire Chief Eddie King.
The trend shows no signs of stopping.
In January 2014 alone, the department re
sponded to 21 false alarms.
Each time the fire department reacts to
a triggered alarm, multiple fire trucks from
around Alamance County are required
to report to the site of the incident. Fuel,
manpower and maintenance of the depart
ment’s vehicles are expenses the depart
ment takes into account.
“It’s coming out of our budget,” King
said. “The university gives us a contribution
each year, but that’s just for normal fire and
medical protection. What we’re seeing with
these false alarms is that it’s going over a
normal expected amount.”
Donations from the university, along
with the Twin Lakes community, the Town
of Elon and Alamance Rural, comprise the
budget for the Elon Fire Department. The
department was promised $560,391 for the
2013-2014 year. Elon University’s contri
bution made up only 8.9 percent of the to
tal budget.
In 2013, the Elon Fire Department re
sponded to a total of 466 fire alarms in Ala
mance County, 46 percent of which were
set off on Elon’s campus. The department
spent anywhere from $86,400 to $113,000
responding to calls from the university
alone. This exceeds the university’s $50,000
contribution by as much as $63,000.
Each piece of equipment dispatched to
the scene of a fire alarm has its own price.
A single fire truck can cost as much as $124
for one hour of use, according to the Fed
eral Emergency Management Agency.
Captain David Wright, who has served
at the Elon Fire Department for 22 years,
said the department has done its best to
See FIRE page 3