Higher Education ESP --
Building a Quality Workforce

Campus Security & Higher Ed ESP

Higher education institutions are not immune to the call for increased security all over the country since September 11, 2001. Much more is being done on campuses everywhere to secure students, faculty, staff, visitors, and campus property. Two elements are missing however. The first is funding. This is a quagmire for all Higher Ed ESP Security personnel and will continue to be. The states are woefully in deficit in a bad economy, and the Homeland Security Act passed by Congress in November 2002 does not provide adequate funding for all its mandates.

The second problem is one that has existed for a long time and is being spotlighted to some degree because of the federal Homeland Security Act. Generally the rule of thumb for administrations regarding security and criminal activity on campuses is to practice damage control rather than emphasizing justice and security. Campus crime is often not dealt with swiftly and emphatically, but is minimized or even covered up in the interest of image protection. This kind of maneuvering makes good security and law enforcement very difficult for Higher Ed Security ESP. For law enforcement and security officers to be able to do their jobs, they must be free of political influence.

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