College, University Security: It’s a Matter of Degrees
Higher education institutions, no matter their location, campus size or types of facilities, are really communities of their own with myriad stakeholders, missions, strategies, threats, emotions, polices, and solution technologies. At some, there is a chief of a police department; at others, there is a director of security and safety. Students may live in official campus housing; others in off-campus but nearby private residences. Often in urban areas, students commute to classes daily.
Most campus incidents involve low level crimes such as bike and laptop theft or vehicle infractions. But there are tragic milestone events which have impacted security across institutions.
1966
Charles Joseph Whitman, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, killed 14 people and wounded 32 during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus but often identified as the Texas Tower massacre.
1976
At California State University, Fullerton, Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian at the school library, killed seven people and wounded two others in the library basement.
1986
Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Ann Clery was raped and murdered while sleeping in her residence hall room. Using money from a lawsuit settlement, her parents created Security On Campus and succeeded at helping create federal and state laws mandating crime record-keeping and disclosure.
2007
On the campus of Virginia Tech, in two separate attacks, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded many others before committing suicide. The massacre is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.
2008
A gunman shot multiple people on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, killing six and wounding eighteen.
2010
A biology professor at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus killed three fellow biology professors during an instructors’ meeting.
There are federal, state and local regulations and ordinances that impact security and life safety. Uniquely, as compared to most other organizations with an in-house security effort, colleges and universities must, with rare exception, log and disclose certain types of crimes and incidents which occurred on campus. This collection of news reports and exclusive campus security profiles has been compiled by Bill Zalud, editor emeritus, Security Magazine.
Most campus incidents involve low level crimes such as bike and laptop theft or vehicle infractions. But there are tragic milestone events which have impacted security across institutions.
1966
Charles Joseph Whitman, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, killed 14 people and wounded 32 during a shooting rampage on and around the university's campus but often identified as the Texas Tower massacre.
1976
At California State University, Fullerton, Edward Charles Allaway, a custodian at the school library, killed seven people and wounded two others in the library basement.
1986
Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Ann Clery was raped and murdered while sleeping in her residence hall room. Using money from a lawsuit settlement, her parents created Security On Campus and succeeded at helping create federal and state laws mandating crime record-keeping and disclosure.
2007
On the campus of Virginia Tech, in two separate attacks, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded many others before committing suicide. The massacre is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.
2008
A gunman shot multiple people on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, killing six and wounding eighteen.
2010
A biology professor at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus killed three fellow biology professors during an instructors’ meeting.
There are federal, state and local regulations and ordinances that impact security and life safety. Uniquely, as compared to most other organizations with an in-house security effort, colleges and universities must, with rare exception, log and disclose certain types of crimes and incidents which occurred on campus. This collection of news reports and exclusive campus security profiles has been compiled by Bill Zalud, editor emeritus, Security Magazine.
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