School safety and security go beyond traditional measures, encompassing a multi-layered, multi-factor approach that combines technology, personnel training and emergency preparedness. As threats evolve, so too must a school’s response efforts change through new or different tactics and technologies.

Most schools have a public address (PA) system for broadcasting morning announcements, paging and triggering bells that signal the start and end of a classroom period and a separate system for emergencies that uses a horn or siren and flashing lights, but not voice.

Those emergency alerts are not typically tied into the public address system, and maintaining separate systems no longer meets the needs of today’s emergency preparedness. Hearing instructions audibly and intelligibly can be critical for ensuring the safety of the school’s occupants.

Why Are PA Systems So Important During School Lockdowns?

In high-stress situations and especially during school lockdowns, every second counts. The ability to convey information quickly through a PA system reduces the time it takes to disseminate instructions, enabling a more rapid and coordinated response to emergencies.

Coordination among staff, security personnel, and emergency responders is vital in a crisis. A PA system facilitates real-time communication, allowing stakeholders to coordinate their efforts and respond effectively.

Many American schools have used their communications technology daily for over a decade. But in recent years, school communications technology has come a long way, particularly given its importance in threat situations.

Former Pierce County SWAT team member and school security expert Jesus Villahermosa, Jr. believes the public address system is the most crucial technology a school owns during an active threat incident.

Schools with audio communications systems older than 10 years need to be aware of the advancements made to the technology. The latest modern communications deliver far greater capabilities than their predecessors, and the systems are becoming increasingly integrated, providing multiple operational benefits to schools.

Beyond emergencies, PA systems are valuable for making routine announcements, giving instructions, and providing information about school activities. This regular use helps establish familiarity with the system, ensuring students and staff pay attention when important safety messages are broadcast.

During fire drills or other situations requiring evacuation, a PA system can guide students and staff through the evacuation process. Clear and audible instructions help ensure that everyone moves to designated assembly points in an organized and efficient manner.

Staff, Students, and Parents Must Receive Training

Regular drills and simulations are invaluable for preparing students and staff for emergencies. Conducting fire drills, lockdown drills, and other emergency response exercises ensures that individuals understand and can execute predefined protocols.

Establishing crisis intervention teams within schools ensures that designated individuals are equipped to handle specific crises and de-escalate potential threats. These teams play a pivotal role in fostering a safe and supportive school environment.

Establishing strong partnerships with local law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services during simulations and beyond is vital. Collaborative efforts enable a swift and coordinated response in the event of an emergency, maximizing the effectiveness of emergency preparedness plans.

Additionally, engaging parents and the broader community in school security efforts is crucial. Open communication channels, community forums, and workshops contribute to a shared responsibility for creating a safe learning environment.

Empowering students to be active participants in their own safety fosters a sense of responsibility. Programs that educate students on recognizing and reporting potential threats contribute to the overall security culture.

Use Technology to Enhance Emergency Notification Systems

Where older PA systems require a person to make announcements from a single location, such as the main office, modern systems allow administrators to initiate communications from a mobile device wherever they are in school.

Mobile accessibility is far more desirable during an emergency. An authorized staff member can activate the system from the parking lot, hallway, or playground with a cascading set of automated actions that the schools set up, including notifying first responders and making live or pre-recorded announcements through the PA system.

Newer systems can also integrate with mobile silent panic buttons in accordance with Alyssa’s Law or send automated mobile emergency notifications instantly via text to law enforcement, staff, and students. Every second matters in a threatening situation; this technology helps people on campus act faster and law enforcement to mobilize and get to the scene more rapidly.

Although local fire codes require schools to install fire alarms separately, the fire alarms can be integrated into modern communication systems and automatically activate pre-programmed announcements and messaging when a fire alarm occurs.

Audio Communications Done Right Will Bolster School Safety

School communications systems need to work every day, without fail. When evaluating technology in an upgrade, school IT and AV teams should huddle with as many teams as possible, from administrators, law enforcement and even the school board, to discuss needs.

A well-functioning public address system is critical to a school’s safety infrastructure. It enables effective communication, coordination, and response during emergencies, contributing to the overall safety and well-being of students, staff, and visitors. Regular maintenance, testing, and staff training are essential to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of the PA system.

Improving a school’s communication system offers schools numerous benefits, particularly during emergencies. Modern systems help schools operate more efficiently and help deliver messages more effectively and faster.

In a crisis, speed is vital. The faster schools can activate an emergency response system and announce and guide staff and students on what to do or where to go, the safer a school will be.

 Michael Peveler is vice president of sales at AtlasIED. This article originally was published in CS sister publication Security Sales & Integration and has been edited.

Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.

The post Schools Must Incorporate Audio Notification into Their Safety Programs appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has determined that the City University of New York (CUNY) and University of Michigan violated Title VI by failing to properly investigate allegations of antisemitic, anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab harassment, as well as allegations of harassment based on national origin. Resolution agreements of both cases were announced on Monday.

Dozens of similar Title VI investigations of other institutions of higher education around the country are being conducted by OCR since Hamas’ surprise attack of Israel on October 7.  The University of Michigan and CUNY cases are the first to conclude.

Seventy-five reports of alleged shared ancestry harassment and/or discrimination at the University of Michigan from the 2022-23 school year through February 2024 were reviewed by OCR. The agency found “no evidence that the university complied with its Title VI requirements to assess whether incidents individually or cumulatively created a hostile environment for students, faculty, or staff, and if so, to take steps reasonably calculated to end the hostile environment, remedy its effects, and prevent its recurrence.”

For example, the school didn’t assess if there was a hostile environment and take remedial action when a Jewish student reported having been targeted and harassed on social media.

“This student reported that after he viewed a graduate student instructor’s Instagram story that included a discussion of pro-Palestinian topics, the instructor screenshotted that the student had viewed the story and posted a new story, tagging the student in the post and showing that he had an Israeli flag in his bio, with a comment saying, ‘Did you like my educational talk,’” according to the investigation.

The University of Michigan’s only response was that “formal conflict resolution is not a path forward at this time” because social media “is largely going to be protected as free speech” and told the student about informal resolution pathways.

In another case, the school only held “restorative circles” to address when a different student who participated in a pro-Palestine protest was accused of having “terrorist” friends.

In CUNY’s case, OCR investigated whether the university and/or Hunter College, Brooklyn College, the School of Law, and Baruch were on notice of and failed to respond promptly or effectively to alleged discrimination and antisemitic harassment by employees and students at the colleges and schools, creating a hostile environment for students of Jewish ancestry since academic year 2019-2020.

Additionally, OCR investigated whether CUNY and/or Hunter College, the School of Law, and Queens have discriminated against students on the basis of their actual or perceived national origin/ancestry, including shared Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and/or South Asian ancestry and their association with these national origins/ancestries since October 2023.

University of Michigan’s Corrective Actions to Comply with Title VI:

To resolve OCR’s concerns, the University of Michigan has agreed to:

• Review case files for each report of discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of shared ancestry during the 2023-2024 school year to determine whether the alleged conduct created a hostile environment and whether any further action is needed to provide an equitable resolution of each incident.
• Report to OCR on its responses to reports of discrimination, including harassment on the basis of shared ancestry, during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.
• Revise as necessary university policies and procedures to ensure that they adequately address the Title VI prohibition on discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, including discrimination based on a student’s actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
• Ensure the university coordinates compliance with Title VI through its Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX office.
• Train employees, including university law enforcement, regarding the university’s obligations under Title VI to respond to alleged discrimination, and university policies and procedures. And,
• Administer a climate assessment for students and employees to evaluate the extent to which students and/or employees are subjected to or witness discrimination and harassment based on race, color, and national origin, including discrimination based on actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, as well as knowledge of university procedures for reporting such discrimination. The university will use the results of such assessments to identify responsive steps for OCR’s review and approval.

Links to the University of Michigan’s resolution letter and resolution agreement 

CUNY’s Corrective Actions to Comply with Title VI:

To resolve OCR’s concerns, CUNY has agreed to:

• Reopen or initiate investigations of complaints and reports alleging discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of national origin, including shared Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, and/or South Asian ancestry, or association with these national origins/shared ancestries.
• For each investigation, provide OCR with the results of the investigation, and for each finding of a hostile environment created by harassment based on national origin/shared ancestry, report to OCR any remedial action to be taken by CUNY, including actions to remedy the effects of the environment and prevent recurrence.
• Provide training to employees responsible for investigating complaints and other reports of discrimination, including harassment, based on national origin/shared ancestry or association with the national origin/shared ancestry, to ensure thorough and impartial investigations, including that the investigators know how to identify relevant witnesses to interview and how to conduct interviews about such harassment and whether it created a hostile educational environment.
• Provide training for campus peace officers on CUNY’s Title VI obligations not to discriminate based on national origin, including shared ancestry, how to engage effectively with CUNY students and the campus community, and how to ensure accurate collection and reporting of complaints and other information regarding interactions between public safety officers and students, as required by Title VI.
• Ensure that each of CUNY’s 25 constituent colleges and schools administers at least one climate survey to students no later than September 30, 2024. And,
• Continue the third-party reviews currently being conducted of CUNY’s nondiscrimination and antisemitism policies, at the direction and request of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, and the other by an advocacy group.

Links to CUNY’s resolution letter and agreement

The post OCR Finds University of Michigan, CUNY Didn’t Follow Title VI When Responding to Harassment of Jewish and Muslim Students appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” —Bob Proctor

Depression is cruel and wicked for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is its ability to rob me of precious self-worth. There have been many days in my life in which I have been convinced not only am I weak, stupid, ugly and pitiful, but I have absolutely nothing of value to offer anyone else.

On depression’s best days and my worst, the monster is invasive, overwhelming, and fully evil. He pursues me with dogged persistence; running me down from behind, tackling me, and pushing my face deep into the mud of despair as he runs over me, laughing while he does.

Depression is like a rogue animal, an untamed beast that is both all bark and all bite. And, having been assaulted by it more times than I care to recall, I now appreciate why Winston Churchill referred to his depression as, “The Black Dog.”

This animal sinks his teeth deep into me and thrashes me about like a rag doll. The more I try to pry myself free, the harder he clamps down. Held firm in the jowls of the beast, in time I relent, and he carries me off to dine on my soul, never fully completing the task and instead of leaving me just alive enough to feel deep pain.

But today was different. This morning, someone I hold in the highest esteem, a man who continues to mentor, influence, and guide me, asked for my opinion.

Article author David Woods Bartley will be presenting "The Why of Suicide and the How of Hope" at this summer's Campus Safety Conference taking place July 8-10 in Atlanta. Register now at CampusSafetyConference.com.

“David, what would you do?” he asked me.

In truth, he sought my counsel, something I didn’t know I had to give.

My mentor was giving an important talk and wanted my guidance on how he should speak about a particular issue. He fretted his words would fall short, and while he intended to offer help, he feared he might do harm instead.

And he asked me what he should do.

Me.

I froze for a moment before I responded, awestruck by the gift of such a request, but then, I did speak. What came out surprised me since it wasn’t hesitant and jumbled. Rather, it was concise, direct, and insightful. So much so that I felt as if the words were spoken by some other person.

Was this thoughtful advice coming from some passerby who overheard the request and responded before I could?  In a way, this was the truth since the words I voiced came from a part of me I had long forgotten even existed.

When I finished, this man I love and admire paused, considered what I had said, and then thanked me. He said I had made a difference. He told me I was a huge help and had given him sound and much-needed input. He added that my words had eased his mind and calmed his worry.

Battle Employee and Student Depression by Asking for Their Input

It’s hard to put into words what this simple encounter means to me. I cannot convey how much this short exchange has impacted me, of how my depleted self suddenly became full.

For too many years, depression has made my soul its kennel, and time after time has taken me to the woodshed of self-hatred to be mauled and torn apart. But just when depression was again convincing me I was worthless, and I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck, Life said something different. Today, Life told me I was worthy.

And, what’s even more surprising is today I discovered a silver lining from all these beatings; I now believe my longstanding experience of worthlessness allows me to appreciate the contrasting light of self-worth that much more, maybe even more so than an “average” person.

In the words of Kahlil Gibran, “Nor is it a thought I leave behind me, but a heart made sweet with hunger and with thirst.”

Could I know self-worth without the experience of worthlessness? I’m not sure. But what I do know is this; today, for a precious moment, “The Black Dog” let go.

David Woods Bartley is two-time TEDx speaker, international mental health presenter and subject matter expert on suicide.

The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety magazine. 

The post Addressing Depression: This Simple Action by Mentors Can Boost Employee and Student Self-Confidence appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

Are you attending or planning to attend this summer’s Campus Safety Conference? Discounted hotel rooms are blocked for you and your team at our event venue and host hotel — the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park!

The Campus Safety Conferences (CSC) are intensive educational and training events for those involved in protecting our nation’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. The CSCs feature critical safety and security sessions for K-12 and college campuses, full-day, hands-on-learning workshops, 50+ product and solution providers, and extensive opportunities to network with campus peers from across the country. Over 40 states are represented so far at this national CSC event!

The event, happening July 8-10, is taking place at the hotel, making travel from your room to the conference space that much easier. Rooms were recently added for Sunday arrivals at our value rate of $239 per night. But hurry! This rate is only available until June 21. Book your hotel room now.

Please note EventSphere is the only official housing partner of the Campus Safety Conferences. Should you be contacted regarding hotel reservations from anybody other than EventSphere, please let us know by emailing campussafety@eventsphere.com.

June 21 is also the date registration rates increase! If you haven’t had a chance to register, we suggest bringing the team in before that date.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the sessions and information on the keynote session.

Our Resource Center, a one-stop-shop for everything Campus Safety Conference, including deadlines, session info, networking opportunities, and new event features, can be viewed here.

The post Campus Safety Conference: Hotel and Registration Discounted Rates End June 21 appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

LOS ANGELES — Several Cal State Los Angeles administrators sheltered in place Wednesday night as dozens of demonstrators vandalized and occupied a campus building.

A group of 50 to 100 demonstrators wearing face coverings broke off from a nearby encampment, which has been active for more than a month, and barricaded the Student Services Building using overturned furniture and golf carts, KTLA reports. Footage from the scene shows pro-Palestinian statements graffitied on the walls and windows, including “We see the blood on your hands” and “Divest from death.” Windows were also smashed and trash was strewn inside and outside the building. Some protesters removed copy machines, vending machines, and furniture from inside the building to reinforce the barricade late into the night.

The university sent an alert to students and staff urging anyone in the building to shelter in place and lock doors. Others were told to avoid the area and leave campus.

The building houses the offices of Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes and several other administrators. Officials said 58 employees were escorted out of the building around 6 p.m., according to Fox 11. About half a dozen administrators, including Eanes, remained in the building until after midnight to manage the situation. The staffers were accompanied by campus police and locked inside a suite of offices.

Cal State LA spokesperson Erik Frost Hollins said the takeover ended early Thursday without arrests but that the damage inside the building was “extensive.”

“We don’t have an exact appraisal on it but there was damage to the exterior, the interior, equipment, materials, structure — it was significant damage,” he said.

While no arrests were made, Eanes said assaults were reported by three employees and one student.

Pro-Palestinian Protester: ‘Property Isn’t Sacred’

Protesters told KTLA that the vandalism was in response to “radio silence” from the university regarding demands to divest from Israel-based businesses. Some wrote on social media that Eanes “continues to dance around and repress our divestment demands.”

“We don’t think property is sacred,” one protester said. “We believe that lives are more important than property. Especially when our money goes to this school. This is extensively our university, but we aren’t treated that way.”

In a statement sent to the campus community Thursday afternoon, Eanes said she has engaged with protesters who have occupied the encampment but that a line was crossed and “those in the encampment must leave.”

“So long as the encampment remained non-violent, I was committed that the university would continue to talk,” she wrote. “I am saddened, and I am angry. Know that we will recover from this, but also know that I am committed to doing everything we can to ensure this will never be allowed to repeat. I cannot and would not protect anyone who is directly identified as having participated in last night’s illegal activities from being held accountable.”

The university announced all main campus classes and operations would be remote until further notice.

The post Cal State LA: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Vandalize Campus Building appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

The 2024 Campus Safety Conference, taking place July 8-10 in Atlanta, will unite safety and security leaders for K-12, higher education, and healthcare campuses to focus on intensive education, hands-on training, peer-to-peer networking, and product showcases over two-and-a-half days.

Now in its 11th year, CSC allows attendees to meet face-to-face with their peers and share lessons learned and promising practices. Our events are collaborative, innovative, and peer-driven, and offer resources and training needed to increase preparedness, communication, and response before, during, and after a variety of safety and security incidents.

Below is an aggregate page for all things CSC24, making a seamless experience for all attendees from pre-show to post-show. We will constantly update this page as more information becomes available!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS AND LINKS:

• June 21: Discounted hotel rate ends! Book your hotel now.
• June 21: Summer Break discount pricing ends. Register now!
• UNLV Leadership to Deliver CSC 2024 Keynote: ‘Anatomy of an Active Shooter Event on a College Campus’
• View the 2024 Campus Safety Conference Agenda
• What’s New at Campus Safety Conference 2024?

May 29, 2024

How to Create Reunification Plans for K-12 Schools

Kelly Martin, Lieutenant/Deputy Director of School Safety at Seminole County Public Schools, will present on the topic.

One critical component of a K-12 emergency response plan is reunification. Reuniting K-12 students with their loved ones following a campus emergency is an extremely complex task and, if not done properly, can have a lasting traumatic impact on students, staff, and parents.

At the national Campus Safety Conference, Kelly Martin, deputy director of school safety for Seminole County Public Schools and lieutenant for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, will present on the development and implementation of robust reunification plans.

This session will underscore the critical importance of reunification plans in the broader framework of emergency preparedness and response. By exploring real-world incidents and emergencies, attendees will gain valuable insights into the significance of having comprehensive and well-thought-out strategies in place to facilitate the safe and efficient reunification of students with their families during crisis situations.

Read more about the session here.

May 7, 2024

Lessons Learned from Nationwide Protests to Be Covered at Campus Safety Conference

The GroupProjects general session puts all CSC attendees in one room to openly discuss safety and security topics impacting educational institutions.

Dozens of college campuses have experienced pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations, many of which have resulted in violence and arrests. Some campus leaders have received significant criticism for how the unrest was handled while others have been praised.

No matter the circumstances, lessons learned from the response and recovery can and should be carried over into the next school year, and campus leaders can learn even more by discussing their experiences with others in similar roles.

To orchestrate these discussions, in place of a traditional keynote, the 2024 Campus Safety Conference will kick off on July 8 with the general session, “GroupProjects Live: Lessons Learned from Recent Campus Protests.” Since the current unrest is extremely challenging to navigate and will likely continue into the 2024-2025 academic year, this year’s GroupProjects will solely cover protest successes and challenges.

Attendees will collaborate in small groups and share lessons they’ve learned, struggles they’ve experienced, and strategies they’ve used to maintain safety and security while protecting First Amendment rights when demonstrations and controversial speakers come on campus.

Read more about the session here.

April 25, 2024

Campus Safety Conference at EDspaces Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for Campus Safety Conference (CSC) at EDspaces, happening November 12-14, 2024, in Houston, Texas, at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Now in its third year, this co-located event offers the content Campus Safety Conference attendees have come to expect and love and free access to EDspaces sessions. It opens the door to more resources for school and college administrators, campus security executives, law enforcement, and emergency management professionals by providing new insights into architects and distributors in the education design market.

CSC attendees will have the chance to walk the EDspaces show floor which will feature manufacturers and distributors that demonstrate how the physical learning environment can meet the pedagogical needs and technology demands to support an educational institution’s mission of student success and well-being.

Pricing increases on June 4. Register today to get the best available price!

April 12, 2024

Campus Safety Conference to Cover Clery Compliance

Photo: mehaniq41 – stock.adobe.com

At the 2024 Campus Safety Conference, Jenn Scott and Kyle Norton with the Healy+ Group will discuss changes in the Education Department’s Clery finding rubric and what that means for campuses in real dollars. They will also discuss pending changes to both the Clery Act and Title IX regulations, including the addition of hazing as a Clery Act crime that schools will be responsible for reporting on.

The session will address several areas of institutional risk, including emergency response policies and procedures and best practices for sending timely warnings and emergency notifications to your campus. Learn more about the session here.

Check out this new interview where Scott and Norton discuss why Clery fines have gotten so massive and how to improve compliance.

April 1, 2024

UNLV Leadership to Deliver CSC 2024 Keynote

Photo courtesy UNLV

At this summer’s Campus Safety Conference (CSC), leadership from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Police Services and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) will present the keynote, titled “Anatomy of an Active Shooter Event on a College Campus.”

In this panel-style presentation, all five UNLV and NSHE executives will discuss the timeline of events of their December 6 active shooter ordeal, lessons learned, emergency management protocols, and the teamwork and coordination of staff, leaders, and government that was required as the event unfolded.

Read more about the session and its participants.

March 19, 2024

Campus Safety Conference Adds Georgia Tech Tour to 2024 Agenda

Campus Safety announces another new addition to this year’s programming — a tour of the prestigious Georgia Tech campus and its police department!

Georgia Tech currently consists of 400+ acres and 200+ academic, residential, and recreational buildings. With more than 36,000 students and nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, the campus attracts people from all over the world and can exceed 50,000 people on any given day.

Chief Robert Connolly and his team will give a tour of the campus, focusing on access control, traffic flow, how technology keeps the campus running, and more areas that keep Georgia Tech secure.

This tour has limited availability and will fill up fast. Secure your spot at registration!

March 7, 2024

The 2024 Campus Safety Conference Agenda is Here!

Campus Safety is thrilled to announce the agenda for our summer Campus Safety Conference is now live!

CSC strives to collaborate with presenters who have varying backgrounds and experiences and therefore offer different personal and professional perspectives. Speakers at CSC include a security director, a chief operating officer, a grant writing associate, a Title IX coordinator, a retired commander, a current police chief, a compliance director, an assistant superintendent, a public safety director, a business continuity analyst, and more.

Sessions topics will include, among others: 

• Effective Reunification Plans for K-12 Campuses
• Expand Your Funding Streams: Why You Should Apply for Security Grants
• The Intersection of Campus and Municipal Policing
• Selling Safety: Successful Strategies for Securing Funding of Your Safety Initiatives
• Alternative Response Units Within Institutions of Higher Education
• $37 Thousand or $37 Million? The New Cost of Violating the Clery Act
• Boosting Community Engagement
• Armed Staff: Security Enhancement or Liability?
• Navigating the Challenges of Free Speech on Campus
• Redesigning the Tabletop Exercise Scenario Setup
• Leveraging School Cameras and No-Cost Software to Produce Training Triumphs
• How Stress Impacts Our Behaviors

Check out the full 2024 CSC agenda.

February 21, 2024

Announcing the 2024 Campus Safety Director of the Year K-12 Finalists

Campus Safety is pleased to announce the 2024 K-12 school/district Director of the Year finalists. Being named a finalist is no easy feat. Check out the finalists’ profiles to get a glimpse of some of their accomplishments.

Winners of this year’s Director of the Year awards will be announced at the 2024 Campus Safety Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, taking place July 8-10. To register, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.

• Loubert Alexis, Director – OCPS Office of Emergency Management, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Florida: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Joseph Hough, Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services and School Safety, Buncombe County Public Schools, Asheville, North Carolina: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Ian Lopez, Director of Safety and Security, Cherry Creek School District, Greenwood Village, Colorado: View his profile, photos, and achievements. 
• Kelli Lotito, Safety Director, Regis Jesuit High School, Aurora, Colorado: View her profile, photos, and achievements.
• Byron McCray, Director of School Safety, Chief Emergency Management Officer, Brentwood Union Free School District, Bay Shore, New York: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Rich Payne, Safety Director, Academy District 20 (ASD20), Colorado Springs, Colorado: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Aaron Skrbin, Director of Safety and Security, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Homestead, Pennsylvania: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Levaughn Smart, Executive Director of Security and Disaster Preparedness, Palm Springs Unified School District, Palm Springs, California: View his profile, photos, and achievements.
• Brendan Sullivan, Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management, Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, Colorado: View his profile, photos, and achievements. 
• Donald Webster, Chief of Campus Safety, Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kalamazoo, Michigan: View his profile, photos, and achievements.

View more Director of the Year content.

February 20, 2024

What’s New at Campus Safety Conference 2024?

Image via Adobe, by Brad Pict

Out with the old and in with the new! This summer’s Campus Safety Conference (CSC24), taking place in Atlanta July 8-10, is changing things up to provide you with even better peer-to-peer learning opportunities and solutions to your school and college public safety, security, emergency management, facilities management, and technology challenges.

New at CSC:

• Scholars Program: Designed for K-12 and higher education safety, security, emergency management, facilities management, and technology leaders who are actively sourcing products and solutions to improve the protection of their campuses
• Group Projects and Workshops: Past CSC attendees have requested more hands-on learning and we listened. At CSC24, we will host our third annual GroupProjects LIVE! session and multiple workshops.
• Product Demonstrations: Are you looking for products or solutions to make your school or university safer? CSC24 will hold dedicated time for select sponsors to demonstrate their products so you can see them in action.

Read more.

February 19, 2024

Announcing the 2024 Campus Safety Director of the Year Higher Education and Healthcare Finalists

Campus Safety is pleased to announce the 2024 higher education and healthcare Director of the Year finalists. Check out the finalists’ profiles and photos to see some of their impressive accomplishments.

Winners of this year’s Director of the Year awards will be announced at the 2024 Campus Safety Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, taking place July 8-10. To register, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.

• William Adcox, Vice President, Chief of Police, and Chief Security Officer, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Christopher Buckley, Director of Campus Safety, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Jerry Connolly, Chief of Police, Florida SouthWestern State College, Fort Myers, Florida: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Ethan Johnson, Chief of Police, Coastal Pines Technical College, Waycross, Georgia: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Thomas Leone, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety/Chief of Police, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• John Marcus, Director of Emergency Management, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Mark Reed, Director of Campus Support Operations, City of Hope, Duarte, California: View his profile, achievements, and photos.
• Linda Stump-Kurnick, Assistant Vice President and Chief of Police, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida: View her profile, achievements, and photos.

View more Director of the Year content.

February 12, 2024

2024 Campus Safety Conference Registration Is Now Open!

For more information on the 2024 Campus Safety Conference, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.

Registration is now open for the 2024 Campus Safety Conference (CSC) being held July 8-10 in Atlanta!

The theme for the 2024 Campus Safety Conferences is “Strong Connections, Safer Campuses.” By sharing experiences and leading practices, we are stronger as a campus, community, and world.

CSC 2024 has many new, exciting features, including:

• Scholarship program for guests sourcing new products and solutions
• More hands-on training with additional workshop time blocks
• Relationship-based sponsorship opportunities for added return on investment (ROI)
• Four consecutive breakouts to maximize your time onsite
• Off-hours receptions to enhance your networking experiences

Read more and register by March 29 to get our spring rate!

January 08, 2024

Campus Safety Conference Announces 2024 Dates and Opens Call for Speakers

Image via Adobe, by dizain

In 2023, our events brought together representatives from 40 states and four countries in two summer events and one fall event. As we look towards the next 10 years of CSC, we hope to be a national resource of education, peer relationship building, and connectivity. To align with this mission, we will be hosting one summer event and one fall event for 2024.

CSC allows attendees to meet face-to-face with their peers and share lessons learned and promising practices. Our events are collaborative, innovative, and peer-driven, and offer resources and training needed to increase preparedness, communication, and response before, during, and after a variety of safety and security incidents.

The theme for the 2024 Campus Safety Conferences is “Strong Connections, Safer Campuses.” By sharing experiences and leading practices, we are stronger as a campus, community, and world.

Learn more about the event here.

November 16, 2023

Highlights from the 2023 Campus Safety Conference at EDspaces

Alan Walters, executive director of safety and risk management for the Georgetown County School District, discussed and reviewed actual cases where Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) has helped or hindered physical security.

During a session at last week’s Campus Safety Conference at EDspaces, held Nov. 7-9 at the Charlotte Convention Center, a presenter emphasized the importance of recognizing blind spots within an educational institution.

“I’m so used to seeing the campus and everything in it that I don’t think about what can hurt a child,” said Navigate360’s John White.

White’s statement highlights just one of the many reasons the co-located Campus Safety Conference and EDspaces work well together. School leaders must consider all aspects of student well-being, from whether an unwanted visitor can gain unfettered access to a school to whether equity-driven processes are followed in classroom design.

At this year’s event, CSC attendees had access to emergency prevention, response, and recovery sessions they have come to expect plus free access to all EDspaces sessions. These sessions offered insights into how the physical learning environment can meet the pedagogical needs and technology demands to support an educational institution’s mission of student success and well-being. EDspaces attendees were also welcome to attend any and all CSC sessions — and many did!

Read more about the event.

The post 2024 Campus Safety Conference Resource Center appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A University of New Mexico (UNM) security officer has confessed to vandalizing the gay pride flags of a student.

The vandalism of Ben Gerstner’s flags started nearly two years ago when he and his friends began putting gay pride flags outside of their offices in the school’s biology building, reports KOAT. After they would put their flags up, someone would tear them down and write insults like “aids spreader” and “pedo” on them.

Gerstner said the vandalism happened for about a year. Every time they would put up a flag, it would be torn down the next day. One time an American flag replaced his gay pride flag. Gerstner’s sign on his door was also vandalized, with the perpetrator writing homophobic insults on it.

He and his attorney then filed a complaint with UNM. Three months later, a Ring camera set up by the school caught someone wearing a red UNM security jacket and a mask covering the camera. Another of Gerstner’s flags was vandalized that same day.

Camera Catches UNM Security Officer

When UNM officials asked the security officers working on the evening when all of this happened, one of the officers confessed. He later resigned, but no charges were filed against him.

Gerstner and his attorney have filed a lawsuit against UNM for not protecting him.

The UNM incidents follow a significant nationwide increase in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community since 2015. In 2022, overall anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes increased by nearly 14% from the previous year, according to the FBI.

For K-12 schools, the increase was even more significant. In states that enacted anti-LGBTQ+ laws, there were more than four times the number of reported LGBTQ+ hate crimes at K-12 campuses, Campus Safety previously reported.

The post University of New Mexico Security Officer Admits to Vandalizing Gay Pride Flags appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

LOS ANGELES – More clashes broke out between pro-Palestine protestors and police officers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on Monday.

Twenty five protestors were arrested and ordered to not return to campus for at least two weeks, reports the Los Angeles Times.

UCLA PD said the group set up three encampments, reports ABC7. The demonstrators also dyed Shapiro Fountain red, spray-painted brick walkways, tampered with fire safety equipment, damaged patio furniture, vandalized vehicles, and stripped wire from electrical fixtures.

They also roamed around campus reciting some of the names of people who have died in Gaza since hostilities broke out between Israel and Hamas after Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel that killed dozens. Many other Israelis were kidnapped. The UCLA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine says 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war since the start of the hostilities.

Although the demonstration started out mostly peaceful, the Times reports the situation turned chaotic when LAPD and private security officers formed a skirmish line and faced off with the protestors who were behind barricades. The LAPD ordered the demonstrators several times to disperse.

The protestors then moved their tents to different locations on campus. Rubber bullets were used to break-up the protest. One student and one security officer were injured.

This was the third encampment set up by pro-Palestine protesters on UCLA’s campus since April 25. The school faced criticism for how it handled its previous protests, particularly the protests in late April and early May when a group of counter-protestors threw objects and launched fireworks at the encampment and the pro-Palestine protestors who were inside.

In response, UCLA announced the creation of the Office of Campus Safety to oversee policing and emergency management. Governor Gavin Newsom and other elected officials have called for investigations into the school’s planning, actions, and response by law enforcement, and University of California President Michael V. Drake ordered an independent review.

The post 25 UCLA Pro-Palestine Protestors Arrested After Renewed Demonstrations on Campus appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

JILIN CITY, China — A man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of four Iowa college professors teaching in China as part of a partnership with a local university.

The Cornell College instructors were visiting Beishan Park with a faculty member from Beihua University on Monday when officials say a 55-year-old man stabbed all four Americans after one of them bumped into him, CBS reports. Local police said the suspect also stabbed a Chinese tourist when they tried to intervene.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday that none of the foreign nationals were critically injured during the “isolated incident” and that they were all “rushed to the hospital and received proper medical treatment.”

Iowa’s Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said her office was in touch with the U.S. Embassy in China to ensure the victims receive quality care and are brought home safely. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said she was in touch with the state’s federal delegation and the State Department.

“China is widely considered one of the safest countries in the world. China has taken effective measures and will continue to take relevant measures to protect the safety of foreign nationals in China,” Lin continued. “We believe that the isolated incident will not disrupt normal cultural and people-to-people exchange between the two countries.”

Mass Stabbings in China

China has one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world, partly due to strict gun control and mass surveillance, CNN reports. However, it continues to face mass stabbings in public places, including hospitals and schools.

In May, two people were killed and another 21 were hurt in a knife attack in a hospital in the southwestern province of Yunnan.

Last year, six people were killed and one was injured in a stabbing outside a kindergarten in southern Guangdong province. In 2022, three were killed and six were injured in another stabbing outside a kindergarten in eastern Jiangxi province.

Cornell College, Beihua University Partnership

China has been trying to increase its education cooperation with the U.S., which has suffered significant setbacks due to the pandemic and increased tensions between the two countries, according to CNN.

During a visit to the U.S. in November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said the country would invite 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in the next five years to foster personal ties between the two countries.

Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said no students from the school were taking part in the program at the time of the stabbing incident.

The post 4 Cornell College Professors Stabbed During Teaching Trip in China appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.

It’s no secret that a key ingredient to having an effective campus public safety department is ensuring officers are paid a competitive wage. However, since the pandemic, keeping officer salaries competitive has become a significant challenge with the inflation rate skyrocketing to 7% in 2021 and 6.5% the following year. Although inflation dropped quite a bit in 2023 and this year, it’s still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, campus public safety departments have historically struggled to keep their officer salaries competitive with other local law enforcement departments, security agencies, and businesses. The problem of effectively recruiting and then retaining campus public safety officers has only grown over the past several years with the U.S. economy as a whole experiencing a labor shortage.

This was the challenge facing Keene State College Director of Campus Safety Chris Buckley when he started his position at the school in July 2020. At that time, the starting pay rate for officers ranged from $14.69 to $17 per hour.

Low Pay Resulted in Low Campus Officer Retention and Morale

“We were well within COVID, and as you know, everyone had struggles with hiring and retention at that time,” says Buckley. “Looking at our pay in comparison to other employers, including a main competitor of ours, which was a local medical center, we were struggling. During COVID, local restaurants and other businesses had signs advertising as much as $650 to $750 per week. Some of our officers left for small pay raises like 50 cents up to a dollar [per hour] after serving approximately one year with us.”

The low pay rate impacted Buckley’s ability to attract new recruits. In one four-month period, his department had four vacancies but no applicants.

To address this issue, he embarked on a multi-pronged approach that monetized the fiscal impacts that his department and Keene State experienced as a result of the low rate of officer hiring and retention. He also addressed the need for a culture change in the department so that it would be more student-centered.

Although the process took more than a year, Buckley’s efforts paid off. The starting pay rate for officers is now $20 per hour, and campus sergeants are paid more than $24 per hour.

The salary increases have resulted in Buckley’s department more easily recruiting and then retaining officers. Scheduling is also easier and more flexible, officers are more available for training, the amount of overtime paid has gone down, and department morale has greatly improved.

It’s for this and many other reasons that Buckley has been named as one of this year’s Campus Safety Director of the Year Higher Education finalists. The 2024 Campus Safety Director of the Year winners will be announced at this summer’s Campus Safety Conference being held in Atlanta, July 8-10.

The 2024 Campus Safety Director of the Year winners will be announced on July 10 at the Campus Safety Conference in Atlanta. All finalists will also be honored during the breakfast and award ceremony.

To register or see the full agenda, visit CampusSafetyConference.com.

The interview transcript is below.

Watch the full interview here or listen on the go on Apple or Spotify.

Transcription of Chris Buckley’s interview:

(AI transcription)

Robin Hattersley: Now first we need to know a little bit about your department. So if you can describe it, how many sworn or non-sworn officers you have, are they contracted or in-house and how many employees do you actually have?

Chris Buckly: Great. So before we start, I’d like to just tell you a little bit about our department and how we operate. So our department is committed to supporting the educational mission of Keen State College. It’s our goal to create and maintain a safe and secure environment through effective, efficient, and consistent service to every member of our college community. Our campus safety department might be different than others that you might have seen around before. Our department responsibilities include but are not limited to protection of life and property, responding to calls for assistance, documenting activity, preventing and deterring crime, reviewing an extensive CCTV that we have system on campus mitigating risks, providing educational programming to students, faculty and staff, ensuring compliance with the policies and regulations of the college. Also of the ordinances of the city of Keene and the laws of the state of New Hampshire. Campus safety is an integral part of our campus and our officers are on duty 24 hours a day, year round.

RH: Are they sworn or non-sworn?

CB: So our offices are non-sworn. We do have a very close working relationship with the Keen New Hampshire Police Department. There is actually a liaison officer who was assigned to the campus and we work with them very closely. The Keen State College Department of Campus Safety currently has nine officers, two sergeants, an administrative assistant who also serves as our parking coordinator, an assistant director of campus safety, a director of campus safety, one part-time officer, and one part-time dispatcher.

RH: Now, before you got your officers their pay increase, how much were they actually being paid and how did that compare to the pay rate in your community?

CB: Well, when I started with the Department of Campus Safety in July of 2020, the starting hourly rate for our campus safety officers ranged from $14.69 to $17 per hour. Officers that came in with related experience to campus safety or security experience were paid slightly higher, but they did not exceed $17. They were part of the university system of New Hampshire PayScale and at that time it was a pay grade eight. The salary range was from $14.69 to the high end of around $24. At that same time, our campus safety sergeants were ranging from $16.05 to approximately $26 and again, that was also part of the SNH Pay grade 10 with regard to pay and compensation in the area. At that time when I embarked on this mission, we were well within covid and as you know, everyone had struggles with hiring and retention at that time. Looking at our pay in comparison to other employees, including a main competitor of ours, which was a local medical center, we were struggling. We were not competing, as you probably know, during covid local restaurants and other businesses had signs advertising as much as $650 to $750 per week. There were other local employers that were offering similar pay rates and many of our officers were looking for an increase in pay. Some of our officers left for small rate pay raises like 50 cents up to a dollar after serving approximately one year with us.

RH: Wow. So how did that rate affect your ability to attract and retain good officers? I think it must have made it really difficult.

CB: It was extremely challenging. There were times where approximately a four month window, we didn’t actually have a single applicant, and at that time we had four vacancies. Not only did the low pay rate impact our ability to hire and retain, it also caused us a difficult time attracting qualified people. Unfortunately, a number of the folks that did apply had very little or no experience, and this low pay rate impacted the morale of our officers. There were frequently rumors of the officers on the team that were seeking other employment. The other big piece for us was the low pay rate and our hiring complications. It caused collateral damage within our department. What I mean by collateral damage is we were unable to create different shifts that many of the officers were looking for. Anytime that we had a sick call out or someone requested a day off or training or a vacation time, other officers were required to fill in because we have a minimum of two officers working shift. At that time, all of our officers were dual trained. We have a 24 hour dispatch center that’s staffed by a campus safety officer at all times and then one officer on patrol. The other piece that was really challenging for us was the limited staffing that we had really limited our ability to send officers to any training and enhancing their professional development was very challenging during that time.

RH: So how did you go about getting the pay raise, what steps did you actually take and how long did it take?

CB: This mission that I will call that I went on during this time, it took approximately 12 to 14 months. In order to do this, I used a multi-prong approach in my goal to obtain a pay increase for the officers. Our first approach, my first approach really started with a change in culture within our department. When I first arrived, our department had an okay reputation on campus. Some of our officers worked well with campus community members. Some of our officers worked well with students while others were more reserved. It quickly learned that we needed to retool our approach and I needed to move towards a more student-centered approach. Now, someone may ask is what do I mean by a more student-centered approach? And I can provide two short examples of what I mean by a more student centered approach as most campuses do. We have parking policies that are enforced by our campus safety officers and student parking enforcement officers, and as many colleges probably face, we have a higher demand for parking than we have parking spots.

At that time, our policy allowed for us to ticket a vehicle multiple times a day that was parked illegally. I learned that officers were competing against each other to see how many tickets could be issued on a single vehicle before a student took action to remedy the problem. And as a result of that, I had two interactions with students. That happened over a very short period of time that really illustrated to me that the culture needed to change swiftly. The first interaction was a student who came to my office to discuss a stack of tickets that he accumulated on his vehicle while he was away due to a death in the family. It was one of those situations that happened suddenly the parents of the student had picked him up on their way through town. It should be noted though the student was parked illegally.

Over the course of five days, several tickets were issued to the vehicle. Upon the student’s return who was still grieving the passing of his family member, he discovered that he had numerous tickets on his car. This added a real unnecessary amount of stress to the student. Upon his return quickly became evident to me how detrimental this situation was to the student. It was damaging the reputation of our campus safety department and some of the officers who issued the violations. The second one was a very similar situation related to parking with a student who lost his keys. Again, it started off with a student who was parked illegally. He acknowledged that he was being lazy and was only going to park there for a minute, and then discovered that his keys were lost after having a conversation with the student. As a result of both of the interactions, I really felt that it was time for a change.

And so shortly after those interactions, we had a team meeting. I discussed at length with my officers about problem solving. I explained that our first interaction, which was the case for both of these students, needed to be positive whenever possible. I stressed the importance of problem solving within the boundaries of our policies and gave officers flexibility to meet students in the middle find middle ground. I also challenged ’em to come up with solutions to problems and just not pass the buck or kick the can down the road. One of the other steps that I took was really involved, improved and increased collaboration between the departments that we worked with most often. One of those departments was our Department of Community Living, which is residential life on many other campuses. I worked very hard with them to improve and enhance our collaboration. That partnership and the increased collaboration had immediate impact on our reputation as a department, and I’m happy to say at this point that the relationship between our two departments has never been stronger.

There is a mutual trust and respect between our two departments. We have a great team atmosphere and we work together and not only do we collaborate, but we collaborate daily and if not multiple times. One of the keys is that their team is led by a compassionate, strong leader and we were able to come to common ground very quickly. The third approach involved reviewing student feedback from climate surveys. These climate surveys provided valuable information in areas where my officers needed to improve or areas where we as a department could improve. We utilized the use of a newly founded student advisory panel to seek real time input from students. It also allowed the students to interact with the campus safety leadership and that helped us build trust with the students. The fourth piece, and this was probably by far one of the most challenging, was to document the cost and or cause and effect associated with hiring, training, and retention.

Through the course of research. I discovered that over seven years prior to this project, we had a significant number of officers who come who came to us, and I would describe those stays as short stays as the number was approaching 50 officers who left the college of a variety of reasons, I decided that I needed to take a deeper dive. Now, in the time that I had been there, we had lost three or four officers and that had something to do with the change in the culture and the change in leadership. I also discovered during exit interviews with these employees, main reasons why they left were pay and schedule and the time of some of the folks that left ranged from weeks to just a couple years. As we know when we train people up and they become effective, the departures dramatically impacted our effectiveness.

They impacted our schedule. It impacted the morale in all aspects of our efficiency and effectiveness. So what I did was I embarked on a mission to monetize the costs that were associated with the departure of these officers. The costs went from the up, which was the hiring process for our campus safety leadership team, our human resources field training stipends, equipment that we purchased and quickly hung it up back up on a rack hours. We spent training and other costs association with associated with retention, and I quickly came to realize that these costs were staggering and the monetized amount that I had was close to a half a million dollars in training and lost revenue.

The fifth approach was in a time of covid where we were embarking on new policies and procedures as it related to social distancing and testing. We did not have additional staff to help facilitate these events, and so I reached into the campus safety team and asked them and encouraged them to help us step up and answer the call. And this went from setting up and breakdown of covid testing. We worked in very less than ideal conditions in January in New Hampshire with drive-up testing so that we could successfully return our students to the campus and the efforts, many of the efforts that I’ve mentioned above were recognized and were acknowledged by both the campus community and the campus administration.

RH: And I’m assuming all that information, what you presented to the administrators and all that data basically helps prove your point that you guys are a really valuable asset to the organization. Right?

CB: Yes. I mean, that was a big part of it. It was my boss who had come into her role as a vice president was new to overseeing the campus safety department, and so it took time for me to really explain to her what our role is. I know you asked what steps did I take. My boss is amazing. I had a great opportunity to voice my concerns early with my direct supervisor who’s the vice president for enrollment and student engagement. Additionally, I had communicated my concerns with our human resources department and asked initially for assistance with recruiting new candidates. I also asked our human resources department for a salary analysis of the existing campus safety team based on what I was seeing for their salary range and as it compared to other salaries for similar type work in the area. I’ve also prepared a presentation, a spreadsheet, and a presentation which really monetized the financial impacts that our department and the institution was having with the lack of retention, hiring and salary range. And did some projections about how if we had taken and paid an office or a dollar extra an hour, there was a cost savings associated with having to backfill that spot for on an overtime

RH: Do you remember what that is? Just what that the cost difference when if you raise the pay rate of an officer by a dollar, do you remember what that was?

CB: The exact cost?

RH: Yeah, or the difference in cost. The cost savings you would’ve achieved if you had raised the salary by a dollar.

CB: There are a number of variables which make that number a moving target because it’s hard to project the number of overtime shifts that they’re going to work based on because that number is compounded, but realistically, it was like a three to $5,000 change as an expense to pay that person an extra dollar. And then as you project the number of overtime hours for that officer, having an officer come and work for a year and then leaving with the salary that we had, we were to be able to quickly regain that balance. The other part that was one of the more important pieces for me was having an experienced officer who is familiar with our policies and procedures and familiar with our campus and familiar with the student body, we only really get one chance to get it right on a mental health call or a student in crisis. We really only get one chance to get that right. And so having an inexperienced officer who’s coming in and responding to those calls certainly increases the risk of that incident not going well. And so the more experienced officers that we had was increasing our likelihood that we would be successful in these interactions.

RH: And of course, how do you put a dollar amount on that? You really can’t,

CB: Can’t put a dollar amount on it. But when I was talking earlier about increasing and improving collaboration, the more experienced officers had built an established reputations, had developed friendships and professional relationships with other professional staff on the campus and community directors and community assistants, and provides a certain level of comfort to those folks when there is an emergency situation that they need to respond.

RH: So what are the offices being paid now and what have been the results of the pay raise?

CB: Well, the pay raises were dramatically impacted where we are staffing wise. Currently, our starting pay was increased from what was the $14.69 to $17 was increased to $20. The human resources department has a policy that they use to calculate related work experience, education and internal equity. And so many of the officers received upwards of a $3 raise or close to a $3 raise in that, which was great for morale. Our campus safety sergeants are also now starting above $24 per hour. With this increase, it has been dramatically easier for us to recruit new employees with the higher starting rate. We have attracted more qualified officers, we’ve had more candidates in our hiring pools, and I’m very happy to say at this time we are fully staffed. This full staffing has really created a situation where we’re able to focus more energies on professional development. We’re actually able to build a much better schedule. We have several officers now that are working a four 10 hour shift, which gives them three days off. It’s also is providing us with an opportunity to be more creative with future scheduling, and it has really changed the morale of the officers. Additionally, as we’ve gotten to full staffing and our officers are getting off field training, it has provided us on some shifts with a third officer so that if someone calls out sick or someone takes a day off, it’s not triggering us having to pay overtime to fill the shift.

RH: Do you have any advice to your peers who are going through the same thing? What did you do right and what maybe could you have done a little bit better?

CB: Well, I would like to stress upon the importance of collaboration with the community partners. The collaboration that we did really enhance the value of our department. It’s so important when you’re collaborating to demonstrate flexibility and compassion, which is what we did. Second, it took a lot of research to understand what local groups were paying their folks. A relationship that I had with other campus safety directors and other local institutions was able to provide me some understanding in the difference in roles. And the difference in roles was able to help me advocate for my personnel and my staff. And what I mean by that is some of the campus safety officers merely are eyes and provide a key service. Our campus safety officers are not just a security force. They do provide assistance with lockouts at times. But our officers were conducting investigations on a variety of situations on the campus. We were working collaboratively with the Keen Police Department. We were providing thoughtful and thorough comprehensive reviews of our CCTV on the campus and card access reports, and we were able to provide law enforcement tools to aid in their successful prosecution. I think the other big part was ensuring that my officers were more approachable and really embracing the student centered approach. In the feedback surveys that we’ve received since we started this initiative, we’ve received compliments frequently about how much more approachable the officers are. And the other piece I would say is empower officers to problem solve, and that really was the difference.

RH: Great. Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.

The post How to Get Pay Raises for Your Campus Public Safety Department Officers appeared first on Campus Safety Magazine.