Easton PA May 26 2013 Easton’s City Council, Police Department, Fire Department, and Emergency Squad honored Hugh Harris, the College’s retiring director of public safety, for service to the city and the College.At its meeting May 8, members of City Council praised Harris’ professionalism, collegiality, and effectiveness, as did Mayor Sal Panto, City Administrator Glenn Steckman, and Police Chief Carl Scalzo. They cited the strong and productive partnerships he forged with the city’s police and fire departments, emergency squad, and other law enforcement and public safety agencies during his 31 years as Lafayette’s public safety director. Council adopted a resolution recognizing Harris’ contributions “to the greater good of the City of Easton.” (The full resolution is at the bottom of this article.)
At the annual Easton Police Awards Ceremony on May 15, where Harris gave a keynote talk, officials of the Police Department, Fire Department, and Emergency Squad presented him with plaque featuring the insignia of the three agencies and the inscription “In grateful appreciation for your 31 years of outstanding service and devotion.”
Harris formed the Office of Public Safety when he came to Lafayette in 1982 by bringing functions related to the safety of the campus community and functions related to the security of campus facilities together in one operation. He oversaw the expansion of the department’s services to include police and law-enforcement services, with greater capability to conduct investigations, and services related to environmental health and safety.
Harris introduced many enhancements to the department’s systems, services, and effectiveness. Among these were the installation of a centralized fire-detection system across campus, sprinkler systems in all residence halls, and a closed-circuit TV system to aid visual monitoring of the campus. They also include the establishment of an emergency communications system that uses text messages, email, public-address announcements, and siren to alert the campus of emergency situations.
Harris also established the College’s comprehensive incident response plan that is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis and includes protocols for ensuring the safety of the campus community in the event of emergencies of all kinds.
Harris will retire effective June 30. Here is the text of the City Council resolution.