The Farmville Police Department and Longwood’s Campus Police receive incoming calls from Longwood, on-campus and off, as well as from the surrounding town of Farmville. 911 police calls reach the Farmville Police Department from landlines extending from Farmville to Cumberland. Both the Longwood Police and Farmville’s Police Department respond quickly to calls on and off campus.
“The town [of Farmville] is not large in size, so we can get there quickly,” said Chief Mooney, Chief of Police at Farmville Police Department. “Officers will always be in the area.”
For Longwood-based incidents, Longwood’s Campus Police Department responds as soon as possible. As protocol for on-campus states, there is one police officer by vehicle, as well as one officer patrolling on foot, at all times.
“For 911 calls, we respond by vehicle,” said Patrol Sergeant Rick Atristain of Longwood’s Campus Police Department. The police respond to 911 calls by vehicle typically, so they can reach the area of the incident soon after the call is made.
However, some of the issues police face are not the timeliness of when they arrive, but the wait from when the incident occurred to when the call was made. Response time is key for police to investigate the report or to make an arrest. Police deal with incidents as they come in, and are prepared to reach any destination at any point in time.
“The problem we’ll face is students may wait, whether to walk to where they’re going first to make the call, or they’ll wait until the morning,” Mooney said.
If a serious incident has occurred, students need to make the call to police as soon as possible, following when the incident ensued. It is essential to give clear and concise information. When a call is given quickly after the incident, officers will set a “perimeter catch” around the area.
Police go from call to call, with an average of 15 to 30 minutes. When the incident is more serious, response time goes up, becoming significantly quicker for when police are able to respond. After the first report call is made, the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) can then look at any call that police were dispatched to.
“We can see where the call was made, what time they were marked on the scene,” added Mooney. It is more than likely, in cases where someone needs to be tracked down, that the call be made first thing after the incident. When an incident involves tracking a suspect, “we’re interested in catching someone in time, while the trail is still hot,” adds Mooney.
When student’s report/call directly after the incident first took place, it is easier for police to collect evidence, such as initial details that are easily distinctive when described soon after the incident.
After police respond to a call and arrive at the scene, the police then decide if it is a violation of the law, in which it is then considered a felony or misdemeanor.
Criminal charges can be made as a felony, however, Sergeant Atristain adds, “Depending on the circumstances, if the person is corporative, it can be handled as a misdemeanor.” Such incidents often occur Thursdays through Sundays, where alcohol related incidents are handled accordingly. Along with the Farmville Police Department, Longwood’s campus police, (office located on the first floor of Dorill dining Hall) do handle calls outside of campus as well.
“We have jurisdiction within the town, [of Farmville] and respond to the county as well,” said Sergeant Atristain. The Longwood Police is part of Prince Edward County, and work yearly, including through the summer.
“[However,] when college is in session, the town doubles,” said Atristain. Primarily in the summer, Longwood Police are requested for assistance.
