According to University of Southern California (USC) Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas and Deputy Chief Dave Carlisle, there is a big difference between what peace officers at California’s public colleges and universities are legally able to do versus what public safety officers can do at private institutions of higher education.
They say these differences prevent private institutions from being able to provide the kind of protection that students, faculty and staff enjoy at University of California and California State campuses.
In this video, Thomas and Carlisle explain the challenges peace officers at California’s private institutions of higher education face, such as not being authorized to carry long guns so that they can more effectively respond to active shooters. They are also legally barred from having sexual assault victims make pre-contextual calls to suspects, which hampers campus public safety investigations and makes it more difficult for these departments to comply with Title IX and other California laws on campus sexual violence.
They also discuss AB 2361, which is legislation sponsored by California Assemblyman Miguel Santiago that is being considered by the California legislature to address these inequities.
