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College and University Policing

NCJ Number
222621
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 75 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 20,21,25,26,28-30,33
Author(s)
Ed L. Howell; Paul Morin; Paul Cell; Maureen S. Rush; Vicky M. Stormo
Date Published
March 2008
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article presents five case studies of ways in which specific college/university campus police have used various means to upgrade campus security.
Abstract
The Fort Hays State University Police Department (FHSUPD) in Hays, KS has implemented community policing in a university environment. As a direct reaction to the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007, FHSU convened a standing committee to review, consolidate, define, coordinate, implement, and educate the public about its crisis management plan. Several university-wide forums were conducted to educate the university community about the crisis management plan. Training sessions are held with residential security staff. A second case study features how Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA) have integrated technology into the work of the campus police. The integrated technology includes 21 closed-circuit television cameras at strategic spots on the campus and in the local neighborhood where many students live. A second major technological enhancement was the installation of a campus-wide emergency siren and notification system. A third case study describes new developments in university safety instituted by the Montclair State University Police (Montclair, NJ). These include a mobile application called the Rave Guardian, through which users can activate a timed Global Positioning System signal in their mobile phones, which can be activated to notify police when and where the user has an emergency. The fourth case study describes how the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) has met the challenge of communicating in an urban university environment. This case study provides an overview of the university's public safety program, its state-of-the-art technology, its crisis management plan, emergency response drills, and emergency notification system. The fifth case study features community safety measures implemented at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA). It describes the university's safety programs and its security-related technology.