Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

ENMU named safest college in state

PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University's police force, safety education courses and stable community are the keys to the campus being the safest in New Mexico, according to its president.

Protect Your Home — a partner of ADT Security Services — announced the safest college campuses in the nation earlier this month, with ENMU listed as the safest college in New Mexico.

ADT credited ENMU with employing "both certified experienced police officers and student security officers, who primarily assist with parking and administration."

The article collected data from the U.S. Department of Education, which showed eight criminal offenses total at ENMU in 2015: Four instances of rape and four instances of burglary.

Other criminal offenses on the report by the USDE included murder, negligent manslaughter, robbery and aggravated assault - none of which ENMU had reported.

"The first thing I would like to point out is, we think we are about as safe a university as you're going to find, but there's nowhere in the world anymore that's 100 percent safe," said ENMU President Steven Gamble.

Gamble gave credit to the ENMU Police Department and its chief, Brad Mauldin.

We have coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We've got very good police officers. We've also got a very good chief. He is on top of the national trends; he gives us good guidance and good leadership in that very important position as chief of police," he said.

He also highlighted initiatives undertaken by ENMU to help students protect themselves and their property, which include "everything from offering self defense classes to sessions in the residence halls when they move in about protecting their property."

ENMU wouldn't be able to claim the distinction of safest college in New Mexico without a community that is just as safe, according to Gamble.

"No place is completely safe, but Portales is not a high-crime environment. We say that we are grateful that Eastern is located in Portales," he said.