Campus security officers complete state certification

Mason Brown
Staff Writer

VCU’s security forces are now better equipped to serve students as mandated by the state after completing year-long state training.

Emergency legislation and state mandates required the certification of all campus security officers at VCU.

Nearly 300 officers at VCU, which make up the complete force of security officers at the university, spent the last year training in first aid, homeland security and the requirements of the Jeanne Clery Act that was updated in 2010.

VCU has a police force much larger than other campuses which, according to Mike Porter of VCU communications, makes this training and certification such “a big deal.”

In 2010 the Clery Act was updated in response to high-profile campus crimes in the past few years including the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007. The updates included new missing-student guidelines, how campuses report crimes to outside authorities, requirements for the reporting hate crimes and requirements for reporting fire incidents.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or the Cleary act was established in 1989 in response to the rape and murder of college student Jeanne Clery.

The act at the time mandated the full disclosure of crimes on campus to local authorities. Colleges that do not abide to the act would be removed from eligibility for federal financial aid.


Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply