Dear University Community,
Ensuring that 黑料网 remains a safe and welcoming environment for our students, employees, and visitors is an ongoing priority, and we are grateful for the dedicated team of University Police Department (UPD) officers and support staff who have and continue to deliver a high level of service to our campuses.
We鈥檙e pleased to share that beginning this month and continuing through the summer, UPD will welcome a number of new patrol and community service officers to elevate the department鈥檚 presence on our Maryland Parkway campus.
This includes expansion of UPD鈥檚 successful Community Service Officer (CSO) program, which has been in place at other NSHE campuses and will be introduced at 黑料网 this summer. As part of the CSO program, UPD will add seven new officers with distinct uniforms who will be assigned to foot and/or bicycle patrol assignments in dedicated areas of the Maryland Parkway campus. The CSO program seamlessly integrates with the department鈥檚 existing communications infrastructure, which will improve direct communication between UPD and the campus community and advance the department鈥檚 growing community-oriented policing model. We look forward to welcoming these officers to 黑料网 in the near future.
UPD will also welcome seven new and returning police officers by the end of May, continuing its efforts to increase staffing at 黑料网 and the other NSHE institutions it serves. Since Dec. 6, 2023, the department has hired 11 police officers, with 6 more recruits expected to begin police academy training this summer. This is in addition to a number of key support staff hires in recent months, including student cadets, dispatchers, and emergency management and administrative personnel.
As a result of this collective effort to bolster safety and security efforts on our campuses with full-time university staff, UPD鈥檚 contract with Security Concept Group (SCG) and its 鈥測ellow jacket鈥 private security personnel will conclude at the end of the fiscal year on June 30. We are tremendously appreciative of the efforts of SCG and its team. The yellow jacket personnel have been a consistent, compassionate, and reassuring presence on our campuses since early 2024, and their service has allowed UPD the time needed to create the CSO program and hire more police officers.
Additionally, UPD鈥檚 student cadet program will continue to enhance visibility and monitoring on our campuses and provide valuable on-the-job training to students exploring careers in law enforcement. As you may know, UPD student cadets conduct regular patrols and support at special events, patrol on foot and in golf carts, and respond to safety escort requests and room lockouts. Student cadets, like CSOs, are also trained by and have direct radio contact with university police.
We know that trust in campus safety is built through visibility, responsiveness, and consistency. In addition to the personnel enhancements referenced, the installation of five new RebelSAFE emergency phones on the Maryland Parkway campus was completed this month, and five more will be upgraded over the summer.
Work to install the first phase of automatic classroom and class lab locking buttons will also begin this summer, with approximately 200 buttons to be installed throughout 12 campus buildings. Phase one installation of enhanced wall-mounted phones with emergency messaging functions will also be completed over the summer, with approximately 100 phones in the Carol C. Harter Classroom Building Complex, Wright Hall, and the Shadow Lane Campus. This is in addition to work already completed to install security cameras and exterior lock boxes, enhance lighting, and upgrade RebelSAFE emergency phones on our campuses.
These changes, which will continue throughout the summer and into the fall, reflect our ongoing commitment to investing in the personnel and systems that enhance our safety preparedness and make our campus a place where everyone can live, learn, and work with confidence and peace of mind.
We鈥檙e grateful for your partnership as we continue to cultivate a secure and supportive campus environment. Thanks for all you do to contribute to our community.
Warm regards,
Chris Heavey
Interim President
Arnold Vasquez
Chief of University Police, Southern Command