The Tennessee Legislature recently passed a recommendation from Governor Bill Lee that will allow for the University of Memphis to receive $5.488 million for campus safety and security upgrades.
According to the university, these upgrades will be for this current fiscal year, and the investment is non-recurring.
In a statement, U of M president Bill Hardgrave said that a “safe, thriving campus,” is their number one priority. The money will be used to “fund proven measures that ensure our students, faculty and staff feel safe on our campus.”
The Flyer reported that the university was named the safest large campus in 2022 by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The university said that the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and Homeland Security did a campus-wide assessment in 2021, which they used to determine five different areas that would receive investments from the funding. The following breakdown was provided by the university:
- $2.193 million for upgrade and installation of LED lighting
- $1.46 million for perimeter fencing and parking lot access control
- $773,000 for intelligent camera installations
- $750,000 for a comprehensive notification system
- $312,000 for mobile trailers and patrol vehicle replacements
While the investment will be used to upgrade and install equipment around campus, the university said that they are continuing to work with partner organizations such as MLGW.
“In addition to making the strategic investments [noted above] to improve campus safety and security, the UofM is continuing to work with MLGW to improve lighting on perimeter neighborhood streets,” said the university in a statement. The school will also work with the Memphis Police Department to better coordinate efforts on police patrols on and around campus.
“The UofM will also coordinate with other law enforcement and community partners such as the University Neighborhood Development Corporation to curb crime, specifically auto related crime,” the university said. The majority of crimes on campus are auto-related.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) released its 2022 Crime on Campus report, which provided “information on crimes, reported to TBI through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System, that occurred on college or university campuses.”
According to the report, a majority of the crimes reported at the University of Memphis were larceny and theft offenses (111.) While 36 of the crimes reported in this category were “theft from [a] building,” there were 26 reports of theft from a motor vehicle, and 32 reports of theft of motor vehicle parts.
There were also 47 reports of motor vehicle theft, according to the report.
The university has previously encouraged students and other members of the campus community to utilize the LiveSafe app, which provides an avenue for students to directly communicate with police services on campus through text, pictures, video, and audio. However, Everbridge Crisis Management will replace the app this summer.
“Everbridge will orchestrate all crisis response activities, teams, and resources to accelerate critical event recovery times and allow the UofM to continue prioritizing safety and security,” added the university.
