Creating a Safer Campus
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jun 01, 2010
A successful collaboration begins with establishing open communications
among all the key players, including the community, to determine all physical security needs of a campus. All stakeholders must be involved with the development and maintenance of a campus security plan.
Let’s face it: better preparation means better prevention. Key to the success is proactive thinking to prevent incidents from happening
and the ability to handle events when they happen. With a team attitude, all stakeholders will be engaged in the mission, which is especially important when funding is explored. Here are five criteria for a successful campus security plan:
1. Establish a task force. The key to success is operating on the premise of knowledge, consent and support. By establishing cooperative and productive relationships, every group involved
will have a stake in the outcome. This means that students,
parents, faculty and staff are equal partners. Part of the internal staff would include facilities and operations management,
IT professionals, local and campus police, and on- and off-campus businesses.
2. Conduct annual risk assessments. Preparation is critical and is the cornerstone for gathering information. This will help administrators make informed decisions. Always review
legal, insurance, and building requirements and restrictions.
A thorough risk assessment of the entire campus will give you
a better understanding of all facilities.
3. Prioritize all goals. Once the risk assessment is complete, talk with a security solution provider. In doing this, you can set priorities for short- and long-term goals. Look for a return
on investment, even though security typically does not drive revenue. For instance, if you have a problem with false alarms, implementing a solution that will help reduce them
will help with productivity, reduce fines and ease the burden of emergency response.
4. Seek additional funding resources. Once you have a better understanding
of your financial needs and budget requirements, you will need to know how to pay for the solutions. Be aggressive
and use unique approaches. Explore the availability of funds through medical and other research grants. Whenever your university receives funding, see if you can have a portion earmarked for security.
5. Implement strategies for identified needs. Clearly define the roles for campus and local law enforcement with regard to campus safety, security and operations. Make sure everyone understands how they will be held accountable and completely
understands their responsibilities and authority. Track
incidents and events, including software event logs, and police and security response logs. Talk regularly to local police so everyone understands campus security needs.
This article originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of Network-Centric Security.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is editor-in-chief of Security Products magazine.