Former VSU Official Leaks Confidential 2014 Campus Security Report
Virginia State University disputes the former official’s claim that the school did not make adequate security changes following the release of the report.
An independent consulting group compiled the report after the fatal shooting of a student at an off-campus housing complex.
In 2013, Virginia State University hired an independent consulting group to evaluate the school’s safety and security measures following the fatal shooting of a student at an off-campus housing complex. Now, following a recent bout of violence, a former VSU official has leaked the security review to a local newspaper.
The report, which was completed in 2014 by the Powhatan Group after months of investigating, found the school was lacking in many areas of campus security. Some issues outlined in the report included an understaffed campus police department, poor or lacking security lighting and surveillance cameras and lack of an emergency operations plan.
“This is a significant weakness in the overall safety and security responsibility of the university,” says the study of the school’s absence of a campus emergency plan, which is required by state law. “VSU is among a small number of universities in the nation that does not have an approved (emergency operations plan).”
The former official, who remained anonymous in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, decided to leak the findings after two people, including a VSU student, were shot within five days on the Ettrick campus.
Following the two shootings, VSU announced it would be making additional security changes, including increased police presence on campus and added lighting and video surveillance cameras throughout campus, reports WTKR.
“It’s ironic that the same issues are coming up,” says the former official. “Had the (board of visitors) addressed the issues raised in the reports, maybe the two students would not have been shot.”
The former official says few of the current and former board members were given a copy of the 34-page report. The former official also says a secondary report, conducted by now-retired University of Richmond Police Chief Robert Dillard and Ashland Police Chief Doug Goodman, was not distributed to all board members.
VSU Administration Defends Campus Security Changes
Current VSU officials strongly dispute the claim that little changes have been made following the release of the report. A lead administrator says the report is now outdated as many changes have been made in the past four years.
Hubert D. Harris, the university’s president of administration who oversees campus police, says the school spent over $2.5 million in security enhancements. He says that dollar amount doesn’t include additional “human capital” investments, such as officer training and career development.
Harris acknowledges that the 2014 report unveiled some serious deficiencies but assures that the report no longer reflects the current security at the university.
In a recent interview, Harris provided ways the campus has implemented security changes over the last four years following the release of the report’s findings.
VSU Campus Police Department
The report says the campus police department lacked command and strength. Harris says when information was being collected for the report, the department was short five officers.
Officer retention, says Harris, is the reason why the department was understaffed, citing competition with other local law enforcement agencies for salaries and benefits.
The university raised officer’s starting pay and created five additional police supervisory positions, although the department is now short eight officers.
Harris says ten additional officers are in the process of being hired. “Our goals with that is to always be recruiting so that you never really get too low. Even with the current strength we have, we’re augmented by patrols in Chesterfield County.”
Video Surveillance and Lighting
In 2013, the report found 262 surveillance cameras in place throughout the campus but noted that the system needed to be updated. Some of the cameras had stopped working and were never replaced but were remained as deterrence.
Harris says there are now 840 surveillance cameras. The school has a maintenance contract with the provider which requires monthly tests and repairs when cameras stop working.
The report also described lighting on the campus as “weak”, especially around residence halls and parking lots. The school admitted the outdoor lighting system was “unsuitable due to new facilities on campus.”
Harris says the school spent $450,000 on new lighting in residential and academic areas, which was completely installed in 2015.
The additional lighting being installed following the recent shootings will be placed on sports and intramural fields and additional areas where students commonly assemble.
Campus Emergency Operations Plan
When the report was released, VSU was in the midst of creating an emergency operations plan but it was not yet finalized or approved. “Should an incident occur today on campus, VSU stakeholders are not prepared to respond according to a consistent authorized plan of action,” reads the report.
Harris says the university’s board of visitors has approved a plan and it is fully compliant with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The plan was approved on July 18, 2014, and its most recent annual test took place on March 13, 2017.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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