CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF YOUR CAMPUS SECURITY PROGRAM
As college graduations are approaching and many students are leaving campus for the summer, it’s time to reassess security programs. We collaborate with hundreds of university partners on their security projects and programs, performing Threat Assessments to identify potential threats. Each of these partnerships has taught us lessons about how to approach each threat assessment and serve in these environments. It can be a big undertaking, but we’ve outlined steps to help make this process easier in lock step with our university partners. We discovered some best practices and considerations for securing institutions of higher education through these collaborative journeys. Below, you’ll find many of these compiled into the four critical components of a campus security program.
Collaboration
Bringing in many members of your team and leadership will be imperative to creating a security program that will keep your campus community safe. You will want to create a list of stakeholders who will be responsible for the success of this security program. Some people to consider:
Senior Leadership
Public Safety Officer
Emergency Response Team
University Housing Staff
University Parking and Dining Staff
Legal
IT Management
Communication
Creating a comprehensive communication strategy will help inform everyone of the importance of a new security program. Leadership needs should communicate the value and commitment to security on campus. Consider how you’ll need to communicate to respective teams and through which channels. Once the project is underway, communicating effectively to new and current students, staff, and the community will help drive home the priority of safety on campus.
Documentation
Before implementing the new security program, all levels of thought and documentation must be done. This will make the next steps of the project more seamless. Things to consider documenting:
Training processes
Escalation of measures
Roles & Responsibilities
Hardware and equipment mapping
Updating old documentation with new process and details
Implementation
Now that you’ve established the value and all documentation is complete, your security integrator will be prepared to plan and implement your security solutions. While the installation and implementation of new security elements matter most, you should also consider what processes you’ll need while the work is being done. From the first device installed to the go-live date, delivery processes will ensure your project team is operating smoothly. Once you have a timeline established, be sure you have daily and weekly checks to see how you’re working toward that testing and go-live date.
If you like the ideas we’ve discussed today, give us a call and we can help you take the appropriate measures to protect your staff, equipment, and customers. Providing you with peace of mind.
Need help getting started? Contact AHS Security Consulting for a ThreatAssessment today!
