Campus Safety Voices

There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic we all have been experiencing over the past couple of years has been traumatic and tragic. More than a million Americans have died and millions more have lost loved ones as a result of this dreaded disease. 

That said, there have been some positive developments in school safety and security that have resulted. 

To tell us about those “silver linings” is FEA Vice President Paul Timm. In our discussion, Paul talks about the elevated roles of security practitioners, nurses, mental health counselors, security technology, and distance learning during the pandemic. He also covers the new funding that’s now available through CARES and ARPA.

All of these developments will most likely positively impact school security and safety programs for years to come.

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A study of the Chicago Police Department last year found that female law enforcement officers use force 28% less often than their male counterparts. They also make 7% fewer arrests. Although the study didn’t delve into why these differences exist, we do know that unnecessary arrests and unnecessary use of force can damage community relations and lead to lawsuits.

It stands to reason, then, that campus security and public safety departments could greatly benefit from hiring more women. Unfortunately, only about 13% of full-time law enforcement officers in the U.S. are female, despite the fact that women make up 60% of the U.S. workforce. For schools, universities, and hospitals, 44% of their security or campus police departments have 10% or fewer female employees in them, according to Campus Safety’s 2018 Salary and Benefits Survey. More than four out of five say that women make up less than 30% of their employees.

So, how can a K-12 school district, college campus, or healthcare facility recruit and then retain its female officers?

To find out, I interviewed three campus public safety and security veterans: University of Illinois Chief of Police Alice Cary, Los Angeles School Police Department Chief Leslie Ramirez, and SRMC Consultant Marilyn Hollier.

In our interview, Cary, Ramirez, and Hollier cover:

• Additional reasons why campus public safety departments should hire more women – 2:30
• Why more women aren’t in campus law enforcement and security – 6:23
• Some of the strategies they’ve adopted to not only recruit women in their departments, but also ways to make female officers successful in their careers so that they will stay in campus security and policing – 11:09
• Creating an environment that is attractive to potential female officers – 19:43
• How men can support women in security and law enforcement – 31:50

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For years now, schools have been issuing physical photo identification cards to their students, faculty and staff. However, with so many middle school and high school students now owning mobile phones, there is the opportunity for K-12 campuses to put their student, faculty, and staff digital ID credentials right on their phones. 

This enables the campus to leverage the technology that most students, teachers and employees have with them already to improve communications during emergencies, as well as improve response to situations involving things like active shooters, inclement weather, medical emergencies and more.

“Cell phones are widely used around your entire school,” says Emily Fellouzis, who is chief operating officer for Ident-A-Kid. “Students having cell phones can be a nuisance, but we’ve found that school phone policies are evolving during today’s COVID restrictions. We’re also seeing digital IDs being adopted worldwide.

“We’ve found that digital IDs can be used in schools to bridge the gap in communication between administrators and students, especially in cases of emergency.”

So, in this interview, Fellouzis provides some valuable insight on digital IDs in the K-12 campus setting. Specifically, she talks about:

·       Why middle schools and high schools need to adopt digital IDs – 1:35

·       Other advantages of digital IDs – 2:40

·       What features and functions a digital student ID system should have – 5:09

·       Tying digital student IDs into a campus or district’s emergency management system – 5:57

·       Examples of where and when these systems can be used – 9:07

·       The future of digital IDs – 10:10

So, with that, here’s our interview with Emily Fellouzi. Enjoy the show!

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Last fall, three children’s health groups declared a national state of emergency in child and adolescent mental health, and they cited the pandemic as a driving force behind the growing concerns. 

Now that most schools are back to in-person learning, or at least a hybrid model, school staff are navigating student mental health concerns as they also continue to deal with the logistical challenges of the pandemic.

Campus Safety spoke to Amy Grosso, the director of behavioral health services for the Round Rock (Texas) Independent School District, about her observations surrounding student and teacher mental health and what her district is doing to address the challenges.

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• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

Human trafficking comes in many shapes and sizes. It doesn't only affect one population and there is more than one type. For many students, college is their first time living away from home, which puts them at increased risk.

We spoke to Maraya Lasinsky, chief advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, about human trafficking on college campuses and available resources for both campus police and students.

For the last two years, Lasinsky has worked on the Blue Campaign, a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and a variety of industry partners on how to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to respond. Recently, she began working with campus law enforcement to learn about their concerns and educate them on human trafficking on college campuses.

During our interview, Lasinsky also touched on: 

• Different types of human trafficking
• Who perpetrators often are in relation to victims
• What makes college students more vulnerable
• Common indicators of human trafficking that campus law enforcement should be on the lookout for
• How students can avoid situations that can sometimes lead to human trafficking
• And more!

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• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

This school year, thousands of students on both higher education and high school campuses have walked out of their classrooms and into the streets to protest administrators' handling of sexual violence.

Campus Safety spoke to Jessica Mertz, executive director of the Clery Center, about the recent protests, actions college administrators must take to address increasing incidents, and how students can protect themselves and each other, among other things.

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• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
• X: https://x.com/CampusSafetyMag
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• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

Campus Safety’s 2021 Video Surveillance Survey found the percentage of respondents who have purchased body-worn cameras has more than doubled since we last conducted the survey two years ago. Nearly a third of all survey participants (30%) say they’ve purchased this type of equipment in the past two years, compared to only 14% in 2019.

Since more of our readers are adopting the technology or considering doing so, we wanted to chat with someone who understands the technology but is also familiar with the markets we serve. Enter Ryan Brady.

Brady was a teacher for nine years, starting out as a special education teacher in 2002. He diligently worked his way up to assistant principal, serving at three different schools for a total of ten years. At each school, Brady was head of school safety. Brady also has an impressive 27 doctoral hours in statistics and used that knowledge to improve school safety.

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• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
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• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

To help schools and colleges navigate the new security, public safety and emergency management landscape, Campus Safety spoke with two technology experts from HID Global: K-12 National End User Manager Michael Garcia and Higher Education End-User Business Manager Timothy Nyblom.

In this interview, Garcia and Nyblom discuss the lessons colleges and schools have learned over the past two years regarding security and safety. They also cover how Apple wallet and mobile access credentials are being implemented at institutions of higher education and how this technology will eventually make its way onto K-12 campuses.

CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

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CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: 

• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
• X: https://x.com/CampusSafetyMag
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CampusSafetyMag
• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

Hospital workplace violence has been a growing concern for years and has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. From 2019 to 2020, the assault rate at U.S. hospitals increased by 25%.

Campus Safety had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Rhonda Collins, DNP, RN, FAAN, about hospital violence, particularly violence against nurses. Dr. Collins shared her own personal experiences with workplace violence in her nursing career, what she believes has contributed to the increase in incidents, and effective ways hospitals can address this problem head-on. 

CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: 

• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
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• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine

Dean Drako of Eagle Eye Networks talks about the applicability of the cloud and artificial intelligence on campus, as well as the need for strong cybersecurity practices.

CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

CAMPUS SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: 

• Facebook: https://facebook.com/CampusSafetyMagazine
• X: https://x.com/CampusSafetyMag
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CampusSafetyMag
• LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1836305
• YouTube: @Campussafetymagazine