Campus Safety Task Force Interim Report

December 19, 2013

In September 2013 President Paxson established the Campus Safety Task Force in response to a number of crimes that occurred near the campus over the summer and early fall. The Task Force was charged to assess the campus safety resources Brown currently has in place and determine and recommend areas for improvement. The Task Force has worked diligently on its charge over the course of the semester, and our interim report is complete and available to the community to review. 

The Task Force focused as a first priority on whether the university should continue the enhanced safety measures that were introduced on a pilot basis earlier this fall. Our interim report summarizes those recommendations and identifies other preliminary findings and areas of further exploration to be conducted in the spring semester. 

The Task Force unanimously recommended the continuation of the expanded OnCall shuttle service, which transports individuals with Brown IDs to on-campus and off-campus locations within the OnCall coverage area from 5:00 pm to 3:00 am. President Paxson has accepted this recommendation. As noted in the interim report, the improvements that have been made to the Brown University Shuttle (B.U.S.) and the pilot expansion of the OnCall service have been highly successful. In November 2013 the use of OnCall was up more than 60% over the same time period in 2012. The ridership of B.U.S. more than tripled. We are delighted that community members are making good use of the safe transportation services provided and that the expanded level of OnCall service will continue. Limited OnCall service is also being provided for the first time for the period between December 19 and January 1st, which will fill an important gap in coverage for graduate and medical students and others conducting research or other University business next week. More information is available on-line

The Task Force also recommended the continuation of the increased number of fixed post “yellow jacket” security staff at highly visible locations around the campus. This recommendation has also been accepted, and the expansion of the “yellow jacket” program will continue through the academic year. 

The Task Force will continue to meet in the spring semester, focusing in particular on concern about lighting on and off the campus; and how best to communicate safety education and awareness information, including Rave Guardian, a mobile security system, and SafeWalk, to the various audiences in the University community and consider opportunities to use technology, such as mobile applications, to streamline the variety of information related to campus safety in a single, convenient location. We would welcome feedback on our interim report and any suggestions, concerns or issues related to campus safety.