After Campus Murder, UT-Austin Announces Security Upgrades
Many of the upgrades were recommended in a report conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Haruka Weiser was killed April 3 as she walked back to her dorm room after dance class.
The University of Texas Austin announced a series of security upgrades Aug. 31 in response to the murder of a student on campus in April.
The school plans to hire more police, install better lighting, add security cameras and reduce the homeless population around campus, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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The announcement comes after UT-Austin President Greg Fenves and the Texas Department of Public Safety looked into security improvements following the killing of first-year student Haruka Weiser.
Meechaiel Criner, an 18-year-old homeless man, has been indicted for Weiser’s murder. The killing was the first at UT in nearly 50 years and shocked the community.
A report on the incident was also conducted by the Department of Public Safety and many of the upgrades stem from recommendations in that report.
“This has been a historically safe campus, and the DPS report recognizes the university’s efforts to protect students, employees and visitors,” Fenves says. “DPS, however, also identifies potential vulnerabilities and issues the university should rectify.”
One of the recommendations in the report is to limit non-UT student access to campus buildings and “reduce the presence of transients” around campus. The full report has not yet been released.
Campus Safety had previously reported that investigators used campus surveillance footage to identify Criner. Criner has been recommended for capital punishment by a grand jury.
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