Welcome Sweet Briar students, parents, employees and prospective students and employees:  A residential college campus is a unique community. The primary purpose of the Sweet Briar College Department of Safety is to provide an environment conducive to the fulfillment of the educational process. To achieve that purpose, the Department of Safety provides 24-hour full-service police protection to the entire campus community, which includes resident students, faculty and staff. Officers understand the pressures and needs of each of these different components of our community. During my 24 years as a campus police officer, the department has become ever more sensitive to the needs of our community. We have come to be more proactive than reactive in our approach. Although our primary goal is law enforcement, officers work to educate the community so that our mission is complementary to that of the college.

A small college community such as Sweet Briar allows campus police officers to work closely with the people we protect. With students, sometimes I think we fall into the role of surrogate father, mother, brother or sister. We have had students introduce their dates to us to ask our opinion about them, and I've even had students come in with papers for me to read and tell them what I think! Such camaraderie serves an important purpose: it enables students to feel more comfortable in approaching campus police officers with any problem.

Sweet Briar's idyllic location, well-lighted campus, escort service, security checkpoint and patrols, as well as the attention from all divisions of the College towards maintaining security in our community, help each resident to feel more secure.

I hope this will help to focus your attention on the importance Sweet Briar places on your safety, and will encourage you to be an active partner with the Department of Safety in maintaining a safe campus.

                                                                                                    Willie H. Neal, Chief of Police

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Page last updated on: 06 October, 2001
Sweet Briar College Department of Safety          http://www.police.sbc.edu