UH receives boost
in securityNew locks and alarm systems
will be added to campus buildings
following break-ins
Better locks and new alarm systems will be installed at the Marine Sciences Building after a rash of break-ins during the holiday season.
"I'm pleased with the response we got from the administration," said Edward Laws, chairman of the Oceanography Department, who recently met with Vice Chancellor Rodney Sakaguchi to go over effective security measures for the building.
Laws and several other faculty members at the Marine Sciences Building had complained to the UH administration about the number of break-ins at the building as well as other buildings at the Manoa campus. Technical equipment, laptops and personal items such as checkbooks and credit cards were stolen.
A California man, 20-year-old Chad Weigel, was charged with second-degree burglary earlier this month after he allegedly broke into an office on the third floor of the Marine Sciences Building.
Doors are being retrofitted for mortise locks that include a deadbolt mechanism, and alarm systems are expected to be installed at the ground level of the building. Locks that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act were previously installed at the building, but some faculty members said they were ineffective.
The administration is also exploring other security devices such as magnetic key cards to access offices.
"Those are much more easier to manage and control," said Sakaguchi.
The cost of the new locks and alarm system at the Marine Sciences Building is about $5,000, said UH Manoa spokesman Jim Manke. The cost for security cameras and magnetic card keys is still being estimated, he said.
Thefts have also occurred at the Biomedical Sciences Building and Bilger Hall. Mortise locks have been installed at the Biomedical Sciences Building. Sakaguchi said there is also a tentative plan to add security measures at some of the stairwells at Bilger Hall.
Meanwhile, a committee made up of faculty staff members and administrators was formed recently to address security issues at buildings and dormitories at the Manoa campus.
"Our security program is staffed and operated today as it was in the last 10 years," said Sakaguchi. "There's a need to look at security when our research programs are growing and our student campus population is growing."
According to Sakaguchi, student population at the Manoa campus has increased to about 3,000 over the past six years. About 19,000 are currently enrolled at Manoa. Externally funded research and training activities for the University of Hawaii system have increased from $164.2 million in 1999 to about $324 million in fiscal year 2004, he said.