Expanding Knowledge in a Real Time Setting

Attendees of Campus Security & Life Safety Summits are treated to vital information from industry experts

• By Sydny Shepard
• April 01, 2018

Campus security has always and will continue to be one of the most important verticals in the security industry. While many K-12, higher education, medical and worship campuses have boosted their policies, protocols and physical security as a result of tragic incidents on campuses across the country, the fact of the matter is: campus security is always evolving.

Just 20 years ago, security on campuses was completely different. The idea of having video surveillance, access control and drills for anything other than a tornado or fire seemed to be pushing the already fine line that schools have to tow when protecting students. Administrators need to have unique knowledge that enables them to ensure the safety of their students while also giving them the free-flowing open educational facility students want to learn in.

When educational campuses began to boost their physical security following the shootings at Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Columbine, a lot of parents complained that they didn't want their students to be attending a school that seemed a lot more like a prison than a school building.

In order to keep up with the new technology, drills, compliance tips, and security solutions that are tailor-made for a campus, you have to be continuously learning the industry—which is hard to do when you are working the long hours of an administrator, school resource officer, superintendent or other campus professionals.

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN

Campus Security & Life Safety is looking to give campus professionals a dedicated time and place to expand their knowledge of the unique security solutions that could be implemented on their campus while providing them the ability to connect face-to-face with experts who can help them to shape their protocols to keep students, faculty and administration safe.

The event was designed to be easy to attend, affordable and educational. The CSLS team worked to ensure as many campus safety professionals could attend as possible, offering low-cost registration and special group pricing. The registration price covers the attendees' entry but also their meals for breakfast and lunch. The event was scheduled to be the same amount of time as a regular school day so those who wish to continue their security education at the Summits would not have to do so on their own time.

The locations of the Summits were also carefully picked in central locations with rich educational influences and only marketed to those within a few hundred miles so that no administrator, educator or security professional would have to travel more miles than they are comfortable with. The location of the event also plays a part in deciding which topics and speakers will be present at the event, as the CSLS team hoped to tailor the material to what local attendees are most interested in.

In November of 2017, CSLS kicked off their first Campus Security & Life Safety Summit in Dallas, Texas. The event was extremely successful, welcoming over 100 attendees to listen to campus security experts like Dallas Independent School District Chief of Police Craig R. Miller, and Joseph Perks, the executive director of security and security at Plano Independent School District, speak on topics such as the state of public education school safety on campuses, tips and tactics for event security, emergency communication and incident response.

Attendees were given the chance to visit with campus security solutions manufacturers, providers and integrators and talk one-on-one with knowledgeable experts about their unique security challenges, as well as inquire about potential solutions for their campus based on the information they learned in the sessions from that day.

EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE

CSLS has grown the Summits by three events in 2018, the first located in Austin, Texas. The keynote, breakout sessions and networking time was specifically tailored for the attendees of the Austin Summit, touching on topics such as compliance with The Clery Act, preparation for an active shooter, gangs on campuses and more.

Attendees of the Austin Campus Security & Life Safety Summit will receive vital information from guest speakers such as Roxanne King, Clery Program Manager in University Compliance Services at The University of Texas at Austin, Patrick V. Fiel, Sr., a campus security consultant and founder of PVF Security Consulting, Joe Curiel, Chief of Police at San Antonio Independent School District and Samuel F. Martinez, Detective in the Intelligence Unit at San Antonio Independent School District Police Department.

Keynote. Attendees will receive the unique opportunity to hear first-hand stories from The University of Texas Police Department Chief of Police David Carter as he speaks on the unique perspectives of campus safety and security in a challenging political era. Chief Carter will touch on the distinct challenges the past election cycle brought to UT Austin and how he and his team stayed up-to-date on happenings around campus, created timely and effective security solutions in a fast paced environment and brought security to an open campus while respecting the rights of students as citizens.

Gangs on School Campuses. Chief Curiel will introduce the discussion on gangs in schools from the administrative and leadership perspective of a campus police department. Detective Martinez will be available to discuss his experiences working with gangs in an intercity school environment and will share ideas that will help attendees have a better understanding when dealing with gang members. The session will touch on how to spot the signs of gang membership and help to promote a safe school environment when dealing with these groups on your campus. Chief Curiel and Detective Martinez are prepared to use their own experiences with gangs to answer questions and teach attendees how to be prepared when dealing with gang activity.

How to Reduce Security Incidents on Your Campus. Fiel will be asking perhaps one of the most important questions of the day, “Are you prepared for an active shooter on campus?” The current information from this session will help campus administrators prepare for a potential crisis situation involving an active shooter. The ideas presented will address steps schools can take to mitigate the risk of an active shooter— including what can be done to prevent such an event as well as what steps can be taken before, during and after an incident.

Fiel will also be hosting a breakout session touching on recent incidents on campuses and how they emphasize the need for adopting, implementing and practicing emergency preparedness plans. While it is impossible to eliminate all the risks, this presentation will help attendees identify measures that can be put into place to help minimize tragic situations from occurring and deal with the emergencies when they do.

Lessons Learned From Penn State. King, a Clery Act Program Manager, will be leading a discussion on The Clery Act's role in the Penn State investigation where she will dive into the violations and penalties against Penn State following the Sandusky trial. More than 50 felony charges were filed, which resulted in a conviction. King will work through the most notable charges and violations explaining the Clery Act’s role in the investigation every step of the way. Lessons learned by those at Penn State will help inform compliance officers at other colleges and universities.

In addition to the vital information learned through the keynote and breakout sessions at the Austin Campus Security & Life Safety Summit, attendees will also have a chance to hear from security providers, manufactures and integrators who can help them to find solutions that work best for the unique security challenges they might have identified in the sessions throughout the Summit.

This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Campus Security Today.