UC Davis police are taking steps to address fears expressed by some women and minority faculty members, staff employees and students about feeling unsafe on campus. Several people who work or study in women's and ethnic studies programs in Hart Hall expressed fears for their safety after an April 23 California Aggie cartoon depicted a missile inadvertently striking the building. "We understand that people's fears are very real to them," said Police Chief Calvin Handy, who has asked to meet with Hart Hall program chairs."We take their concerns very seriously. We do care." Handy and police Capt. Mike Corkery said they would develop a plan of action for addressing those concerns. No threats or attacks have been reported by Hart Hall residents, but Handy and Corkery said that if any problems should arise they would be quickly and fully investigated. The police department has a long, successful record in preventing crime and workplace violence and addressing campus community safety concerns, Handy said. On-going efforts include crime-prevention courses, safety symposiums, bias education, Cal Aggie Hosts escorts and participation in a campus threat-management team. A violence-prevention education program was expanded last fall to include bias and hate-crimes. In addition, the police department has been working with the Associated Students of UC Davis on a proposal to create teams of "Aggie Angels" to patrol the campus. The teams, which could be created as early as next fall, would "act as eyes and ears only" and report any problems to the police, Handy said. "The bottom line is that we try to be proactive," Corkery said. "Our desire is to prevent an incident from occuring rather than respond to it after it occured." Handy said his 48 officers are ethnically and culturally diverse themselves and are committed to protecting the safety of the entire campus community. Jennifer Beeman, who runs the violence-prevention education program, will discuss the cartoon and its emotional aftermath during refresher training sessions for campus officers this summer. "It's important to educate people about how it feels to be so vulnerable," said Beeman, who also leads departmental workshops about safety in the workplace. Faculty members, staff employees and students enraged by the cartoon said it was not an isolated incident and reflected a growing intolerance on campus for cultural diversity. One professor said for the first time she felt vulnerable walking from her Hart Hall office to her car. A student said he feared reprisals after being quoted in a newspaper. A staff member said she worried about getting a letter bomb if she gave her office address to a phone caller. The police department offers crime-prevention courses through Staff Development and Professional Services and has conducted two campuswide safety symposiums. A campus threat-management team also works to prevent workplace violence, responding to reported trouble and intervening before problems escalate. Handy invited people on campus to contact him or his officers with any concerns. "We're available 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "We are open to our community."