WHO: Northwestern Michigan College
WHERE: Traverse City, Michigan
THE SCENARIO: NMC, like any college campus, is a sprawling area with thousands of students sharing dorms, classrooms and community centers spread across a number of buildings. And like any campus setting, the combination can be a recipe for crime and vandalism if not monitored properly by the school’s administration.
The college saw an increase in residence hall thefts during a recent two-year period and enlisted the help of an experienced EPS commercial representative to develop a solution.
THE MISSION: Create an ultra-safe community environment for NMC’s 4,500 students and its 400 faculty members that allowed for easy monitoring of facilities and access points to campus. The solution had to be non-intrusive, yet comprehensive and easy to operate.
THE EPS SOLUTION: EPS developed an integrated system that includes video surveillance, card access and database management. The system included a Smartcard™ for the new student badge that acted not only as a student ID and cafeteria card, but as an access control to facilities. In addition, EPS installed video monitoring at key access points on campus facilities so as students swipe a badge, the database recorded the entry and a corresponding camera was activated to capture the image. Perhaps most significantly, NMC chose to have EPS administer the database so that as current students leave or new students enroll, it is simply a phone call or email to EPS to make the necessary changes and effectively end access for one and grant it for another.
THE RESULT: Within three weeks of installing EPS’s integrated card access system, Northwestern Michigan College saw a 90% drop in residence hall thefts. They went from daily thefts to what they call “very isolated” incidents throughout the semester. The students and faculty feel safer and more secure, and its security team rests easy knowing the system’s administration and database control is taken care of by EPS.