Safety departments geared toward campus life
Liberty University works hard to make its campus safe. Students have the Office of Security & Public Safety to thank for that.
While the Liberty University Police Department is commonly recognized as the forefront of campus security, it is only one of the four departments within OSPS.
According to Vice President of Security & Public Safety Marcus Tinsley, the office is also comprised of the Environmental Health & Safety Department, the Access Control Department and the Department of Emergency Management & Community Engagement.
Tinsley explained that the Environmental Health and Safety Department oversees workplace and construction safety, the Access Control Department is in charge of physical entryway safety and Emergency Management & Community Engagement provides resources and notifications to prepare the Liberty community for any emergencies that may arise.
Tinsley described OSPS as a large pie, where each department makes up a portion and serves in its capacity to complete the goal of implementing public safety.
“The safety of a culture is really pushed by the viewpoint of whoever’s in charge of that public safety division,” Tinsley said. “And so when we push forward, we want to cover everything and not just one small piece of a large pie.”
OSPS was formed to expand the definition of public safety, according to Tinsley. Members of this office look to provide protection to students through their services across campus.
One development the office especially wants students to embrace is the new Champion Safe app. The app offers multiple safety features that are easy to access, giving students the options to send their nearest blue light location, send their location to a friend, report suspicious activity, find instructions for dealing with a variety of emergency events and even receive an automated phone call as a way of escaping uncomfortable social situations.
“Law enforcement as a whole has always said ‘to protect and serve,’ but that separates the two — protection and service are not different,” Tinsley said. “So when you adopt a viewpoint of protection through service, we develop things like the Champion Safe app, we develop the implementation for our security camera systems, we deal with the emergency blue light telephones … and then, we work with Access Control to get the best options to keep you safe physically.”
Tinsley said that the app was developed by OSPS’s community engagement team to provide resources for the community and continue to make students feel as safe as possible. The goal to give students resources has also been emphasized by listing Tinsley’s cell phone number on the OSPS website.
“What I want students to understand is the Office of Security & Public Safety as a whole is not something to … run from, it’s something we want them to run to,” Tinsley said. “So when we step out and say, ‘Hey, we are here for you,’ you understand that we really are here to serve you in any way that we possibly can.”
OSPS will be partnering with the Student Government Association to host a campus safety walk Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., and Tinsley encourages as many students as possible to attend.
To learn more about OSPS, students can visit their website or follow OSPS on social media.
“We want to be a connected, involved party with every student and every member of our community,” Tinsley said. “You will never be turned away from us.”
McKenzie is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion