Seeing so many of you at the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement’s Annual Conference in Atlanta a few weeks ago was great. It is always terrific to connect with colleagues worldwide, and meeting so many new people in the field is similarly engaging. I always enjoy hearing your stories, your successes, and equally, where your teams fell short. This feedback helps the team at COSECURE remain contemporary and attuned to your needs.
For those working in Higher Education, the summer never seems quite like it should. When I was still on campus, I often quipped that summer only lasted from commencement to July 4th, as after that holiday, it became a bit of a relay race to get the campus up to speed for the start of the fall semester. This involves coordinating with campus partners, becoming acquainted with new senior leaders (while juggling the hiring of fresh staff), training veterans, and acquiring new and replacement equipment. All this is done with the hope that our campuses will be ready by September.
As you consider what “ready” means, campuses must ponder the evolving landscape. Campus safety and security are significant issues and a growing concern for educational institutions in the United States.[i] Over the past 10 years, the number of topical areas for which campuses must be concerned has increased exponentially. An effective campus safety strategy relies on the components of the campus safety ecosystem to facilitate the provision of campus safety services. This ecosystem serves to “co-produce” safety and security on campus.
Over the past several weeks, I have heard from colleagues about how they are preparing for “the largest freshman class” or a “residential population” at 110% capacity, while juxtaposing the rapidly changing landscape of federal involvement on campuses. My question is always the same: What are you doing differently? Some describe investments in technology, while others highlight the need for additional staff to support this influx. The leaders, I believe, are best positioned for success, and they speak of building and growing their relationships with key campus partners, including Residence Life, Student Engagement, Athletics, and municipal law enforcement, with the ultimate goal of achieving mission success.
There is an adage in public safety about not exchanging business cards in a command post. While business cards are quickly becoming a relic of the past, the sentiment inferred—that the time to meet your partners is not when you need them—is quite apropos in these scenarios. The logic is that to have key programs, such as behavioral threat assessment management, an appropriate response to those suffering from behavioral emergencies, and effective management of physical security assets, there must be trust across the enterprise.
A recently released study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that about 95% of agencies serving four-year institutions with 1,000 or more full-time students authorized the use of handguns for full-time sworn officers, with a higher percentage of agencies serving public institutions (98%) than private institutions (89%) approving their use. This outcome is significant as it represents stark changes from the previous Survey of Campus Law Enforcement Agencies (SCLEA) conducted in 2011. While it is not surprising, given all that we have encountered over the last decade, open questions remain about whether our work has successfully addressed the changing landscape in higher education.
As we head into the semester, I encourage everyone to leverage campus partnerships to strengthen the Campus Safety Ecosystem and best position their institutions for a safe and secure 2025-26 academic year.
[i] Williams, B. N., LePere-Schloop, M., Silk, P. D., & Hebdon, A. (2016). The co-production of campus safety and security: a case study at the University of Georgia. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(1), 110-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020852315573157
