Troy University Police Chief  John Michael McCall kept the Brundidge Rotarians informed and entertained at their Wednesday meeting at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant.

McCall was the program guest of Rotarian Cot Wallace.

McCall told the Rotarians that he could have started his career in law enforcement in Brundidge years ago had he not been passed over as being too young, too smart and too unlikely to be a longtime hire.

But, after graduating from Troy University, McCall was a career officer with the Montgomery Police Department and is now back home at Troy University.

McCall told the Rotarians that he is committed to keeping Troy University a safe campus and one where students don’t have to look over their shoulders in an effort to feel secure.

“According to ‘Consumer Report,’ the number one consideration of parents when selecting a college for their children to attend is safety,” McCall said. “It’s not academics or sports. It’s not degrees offered or scholarships available. It is school safety.”

McCall said the Jeanne Clery Act is a gauge by which parents can determine the safety of any university.

The Jeanne Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and security policies.

The Clery Act was originally enacted by the Congress and signed into law by President George Bush in 1990. It was later named in honor of Jeanne Clery.

McCall said Lehigh University was a prominent university and one where parents could feel safe in sending their children.

“”Jeanne Clery’s parents thought they had made a safe choice for her, but, in 1986, Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her dorm room,” McCall said. “When her parents began to investigate, it was found that murders had happened multip le times but were never reported. The Clery Act requires that all federally funded colleges and universities must disclose major crimes.”

McCall said when he came to Troy University he was new to campus law enforcement and had heard nothing about the Clery Act.  But, when representatives from the United States Department of Education appeared and demanded a full report of campus crime statistics, he quickly learned about the Clery Act and its importance to campus law enforcement and in providing campus safety.

“Troy University is a safe campus,” McCall said. “We have some problems but our annual report is evidence that Troy University is a safe campus.”

Troy University’s annual safety report is primarily inked with zeros. The report includes incidents on campus, on campus house facilities, on non-campus and on public property.

McCall said he would encourage all parents whose children are planning to attend college to ask to see the college’s annual safety report.

“That report will tell you a lot about the safety and security of the campus,” he said.

Ninety-five percent of the crimes committed on the Troy University campus are solved and most of those are alcohol related.

McCall said universities are required to have a mass notification system that allows the university to notify students almost immediately of any potentially threatening situation.

Students and parents have the option to sign up for the system at Troy University.

McCall said, in an effort to ensure the safety of Troy University, the campus police are active in the investigation of crimes involving university students.

McCall shared several personal stories about his career in law enforcement and poked a little fun at some of the Rotarians. And, to the question as whether there’s a parking problem at Troy University. McCall said there’s no parking problem. There’s a convenience problem.

And, just for the record, Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport said he was not the chief when McCall applied for employment at the Brundidge Police Department. But, he would be happy to see McCall’s application on his desk at any time.