Page 36 - Security Today, January/February 2019

Campus Security
SCecuring a college or university campus is similar to any small city
ollege and university campuses aren’t immune from nearly half of all reported sexual assaults on 10 large four-year uni- the same types of crime, such as burglary and as- versity campuses occurred in freshmen dorms. What can be done to sault, found in any small city where thousands of people protect students in their dorms and on campus property?
live and work closely together. Yet overall, campuses re- All dormitory entries should be kept locked with one door des-
main a mostly safe place for young adults to learn and mature. ignated for residents and visitors. Current best practices call for
The most recent statistics from the Department of Education show the number of reported campus crimes dropped by about 35 percent from the early 2000s to 2012 and have remained largely unchanged for the past six years. However, the numbers of campus sexual assaults have steadily increased.
Hardening Entries
A student-run study posted on an investigative news website found
residents to enter the dorm and their rooms using an access control card and reader or keypad with a personal identification number (PIN). A basic cardkey/keypad system is relatively inexpensive and eliminates the time and cost of rekeying traditional mechanical locks, when keys are lost or stolen. Lost access cards can also eas- ily be eliminated from the access control system and PINs can be changed and updated in seconds.
Many campuses are also moving to smart cards, enabling students
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GOVERNMENT SECURITY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
By Paul Hefty
Crimes on Campus
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