IACLEA has announced plans to open a Global Center for Campus Public Safety.

The Center initially will be housed at the organization’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and will open in 2019. Gerard “Jerry” Murphy, IACLEA’s director of professional services, will serve as the Center’s director, effective immediately.

“While the campus public safety field is expanding in importance and prominence, there is still much we don’t know about the state of the profession and how to share successful best practices,” said IACLEA President Paul Ominsky, executive director of public safety at Princeton University in New Jersey. “The Center will both conduct and cultivate the research, disseminating the knowledge and ideas we believe will advance the profession and enhance public safety.” 

With the guidance of an advisory committee, the Center will develop an agenda to foster applied research with campus public safety agencies to fill gaps in knowledge, identify best practices, and develop model policies. The Center will pursue collaborative strategies by consulting with universities and colleges, governments, foundations, and private entities and conducting research on their behalf.

The focus of the data will be to fill the void of understanding the scale and scope of the evolving field, identify current challenges and emerging trends, and amplify the findings of practices that lead to improved safety for the public, community, and officers.

“With additional research and data, IACLEA can expand its leadership role as the leading authority for campus public safety, not only in the United States but in Canada and around the world, as well,” said Pat Patton, IACLEA Canada Director, and director of security and operations at University of Regina, Saskatchewan. “No organization is better positioned to provide this vital information than IACLEA.”

“The Global Center for Campus Public Safety is an exciting new opportunity for IACLEA and other associations around the world, because it will provide global guidance and advice on campus safety issues,” said Mark Sutton, head of security and emergency planning at Aston University, Birmingham, England, and former chair of AUCSO, Association of University Chief Security Officers. “It will also provide staff and students with opportunities to work at the Center on projects and research linked to global campus safety and security, providing recommendations and guidance for future developments. This Center will represent all campus safety professionals.”