Whether it’s a famous or controversial person’s speech, a rival sports matchup, or a huge community event taking place on campus, a special occasion calls for a comprehensive security plan.
IN THE LIFE OF A CAMPUS SECURITY HEAD, THERE'S REALLY no such thing as “just another special event.” Even for Stan Skipworth, chief of university police at California State University, Long Beach, whose force deals regularly enough with major political figures visiting and celebrities dropping by for commencement. Four members of the 28-officer force are primarily responsible for dignitary protection, and four more are trained for it.
They know their stuff—so much so that when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hillary Clinton came to campus on separate occasions, their protection teams wound up deferring to the campus team. “Their people recognized our track record in doing dignitary protection. We know what our backyard is. They trusted us,” Skipworth explains.
His team also knows that “a great job is when nothing happens.” Every event requires its own plan to keep guests safe. The visits from Clinton, then first lady, and Schwarzenegger, once prior to his being elected California governor and once after, meant “an awful lot of front-loaded work,” Skipworth says. Campus police were available to the Secret Service (for Clinton) and the California Highway Patrol (for Schwarzenegger) “literally around the clock.” From event details to intelligence about off-campus areas, there was much to discuss. Clinton would speak to a larger audience and have more than one destination while on campus. Schwarzenegger would want more spontaneous interaction with the audience, including a classroom visit during his second campus appearance.
Contrasts aside, every event’s plan must include contingencies to handle scenarios ranging from changes in schedule to weather, medical, or terrorism-related emergencies. “It’s kind of like the old analogy, every boxer has a plan until he steps into the ring,” Skipworth says. “Having a plan is extraordinarily important to us, but just as important as the plan is knowing we are prepared to deviate from that plan.”
'It's not like you can take your policies and procedures and blindly move them from one year to the next.' -Cheryl Elliot, Emory University
Security teams at campuses across the country share that philosophy, considering every what-if, reaching out to experts, and using resources to their fullest to help ensure that event attendees can focus on the experience. Following are two-dozen smart moves administrators can make to prepare for a major campus event.
1. Form the planning team early. It should include representatives from the host department /organization, facilities, and security. Getting security involved early is key. If major decisions have been made before that, “the chances of something going wrong escalate,” cautions Dan O’Neill, president of Boston-based Applied Risk Management, a global risk management and security engineering firm that does about one-quarter of its business in higher ed.
2. Coordinate with local authorities. The campus is not an island. Depending on the event’s size, local, state, and federal agencies may need to be involved. For example, when Marist College (N.Y.) hosted the Empire State Games, an Olympics-like event, in 2005, Director of Safety and Security John T. Gildard and his team worked with outside police agencies and other groups. The preparation was similar to a commencement, he says, but the four-day event also involved housing athletes, devising a more intricate parking and shuttle bus plan, and providing simultaneous coverage at multiple sports venues at and near Marist.
3. Budget for services. Typically the hosting organization covers event-related security costs. That’s not to say that hosts won’t get sticker shock, though. When a group at Furman University (S.C.) extended an invitation to a controversial speaker once, organizers sealed the deal without realizing the hefty price tag of the five security guards requested for protection. “He’d been beat up before on other campuses,” explains Director of Public Safety Bob Miller, who had to break the news to the group that the added protection was in the contract and not negotiable. Skipworth of CSULB notes that for a dignitary’s security, “it’s not uncommon for costs to run a few thousand dollars.”
4. Give (or make the case for) top-down support. “I’ve been around a lot of presidents and I think their attitude is fantastic. They’ll provide us with the tools needed to be successful,” says Lou Marciani, director of the Center for Spectator Sports Security Management at The University of Southern Mississippi. Miller, who also does higher ed consulting work, agrees. “They defer to the people they’ve hired, and a good president should do that.” Still, notes O’Neill, “sometimes when it comes to security, people think they’re experts and they might interject their own opinion into security matters.” In Mark Savage’s experience as general manager of Summit Security Services, which works with institutions in and around New York City, mid-level staff are more likely to give conflicting directions at times.
