Campus Safety adds improvements to address concerns

Campus Public Safety’s host of new security improvements and classes will address student concerns and increase student engagement. 

In semesters past, Campus Safety has received students complaints that the Catalina parking lot was too dark and insecure, according to the Director of Campus Safety, Kent Ferrin. In the first several weeks of the semester, both sides of the building have been gated and high-end LED lighting has been installed. 

This is just one of many changes Campus Safety is making to Vanguard. For some time now, the team has been hard at work to both improve the current systems and adding new ones. 

These changes can be categorized into 3 areas: implementations of brand new systems and groups, access control (general security like locks, lights, and cameras), and improvements to current systems. 

In implementing new groups, Campus Saftey is offering CPR training, Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Starting this semester, CERT has become active, now partnering with local fire and police departments, and has training and equipment being funded from a CERT grant, according to Ferrin. 

Additionally, for campus-wide access control—primarily revolving around the security for residence halls—the department has received the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) grant, according to Ferrin. 

Some of these projects include installations such as Catalina Hall’s recent safety upgrades, as well as the future assessment for safety upgrades in other residence halls, Ferrin explained.

Another department goal is continuing to improve the current systems already in place within the university.

For instance, according to Ferrin, the lost and found is now cataloged on Campus Safety’s website, which saves students a trip to their office. Additionally, parking appeals now have an additional level added where students can contest rejected citation appeals in a hearing.

According to Corona, another area of improvement is in how parking violations are enforced. Previously, a car would be towed if the driver had three unpaid tickets. Now, it will result in a parking boot being placed on the vehicle, which costs $100 to remove.

A new focus for the department is student participation, Corona explained. On top of the aforementioned CPR and CERT classes, Campus Safety plans to work with the city’s police department to create internship opportunities. They are even working on a student-led Emergency Response team, which was approved this month.

As the school year continues, Campus Safety’s initiatives will be noticed. These modifications will be communicated on their website, which Corona encourages students to look at.