Contact: (213) 740-2215 or uscnews@usc.edu.
August 8, 2014 – The University of Southern California is announcing a number of new measures to further improve what is already one of the most sophisticated and far-reaching security and safety programs in higher education.
These enhancements, which are focused on increasing safety on the University Park Campus and the surrounding neighborhood, include increased year-round deployment of neighborhood security ambassadors, further improvements in technology, additional security personnel, improved wait times for Campus Cruiser, enhanced mandatory safety education and more.
USC is meeting with Chinese student leaders, parents and others to discuss their security concerns; and these additional measures respond to that input. USC leadership will continue to work with this group and others to devise smart ways to further improve safety on and around campus, based on research and analysis, including through improved safety education mandated for all students.
The new security improvements include:
• Enhance the deployment of neighborhood security ambassadors and extend coverage year-round, including the summer, and increase dedicated nighttime USC Department of Public Safety and LAPD foot-beats and bicycle patrols in the University Park neighborhood.
• Upgrade the video analytics used in monitoring the university’s extensive Closed-Circuit TV (CCTV) video cameras in the neighborhood surrounding the campus and increase the number of personnel monitoring the cameras around the clock.
• Expand the service area of Campus Cruiser, the university’s free car escorts, to the full USC patrol and response area and reduce wait times to no more than 15 minutes.
• Expedite the planned implementation of a free, mobile safety app focused on the USC campus community to allow students, faculty or staff to immediately contact DPS.
The university also is continuing its ongoing efforts to improve education programs. This year, all summer orientation programs for incoming students included new safety education programming, and the enhanced programming will continue through Welcome Week and into the school year. USC also changed its safety programming for new international students, with several onsite programs in China and new videos subtitled in Mandarin.
Beginning this fall, USC is mandating extended safety education for all incoming international graduate students, just as it has for incoming undergraduate students. Including its robust “Trojans Care for Trojans” initiative designed to encourage students to watch out for each other, USC will continue education throughout the year in residence halls, through student groups, and in schools with substantial numbers of international students. Beginning no later than fall 2015, continuing safety education will be required in every year of a student’s tenure at USC .
USC DPS is forming an International Student Safety Advisory Group, creating an International Student Liaison Officer position and further expanding its Neighborhood Watch programs.
“At the beginning of the school year we will meet with additional student groups, because our entire university community is committed to creating a safe environment. All of us must be actively involved,” said Elizabeth Garrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Safety is a shared responsibility – it includes both practices and methods adopted by the university and precautions that our students, faculty and staff need to take with an awareness of their surroundings.”
The new measures follow a number of important enhancements implemented in the past two years by USC and LAPD, which included:
• LAPD added 30 police officers to the Southwest Division, which includes USC.
• LAPD added a detective dedicated to the area, and the L.A. City Attorney’s Office added a neighborhood prosecutor.
• LAPD Southwest Division adopted Predictive Policing, a computerized system for predicting and preventing potential negative trends.
• The USC DPS increased patrols by vehicle, bicycle and on foot.
• USC expanded its Campus Cruiser car escort service.
• USC increased the number of its neighborhood security ambassadors
• USC added nearly 60 security cameras in two years and expanded its public safety patrol area significantly. USC now has more than 190 video or license plate recognition cameras.
As a result of the changes over the last two years, LAPD and Clery crime statistics show that crimes were reduced significantly on campus and in the neighborhood.
“USC evaluates and upgrades its security measures and safety procedures on an ongoing basis, and we are glad that we have been successful working with LAPD in reducing crime overall,” said Todd Dickey, senior vice president for administration. “However, the tragic death of Xinran Ji, shows that random criminal acts can take place in spite of our best efforts, and it further strengthens our resolve to find additional ways that we can help prevent such senseless tragedies.”
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2014年8月8日
南加州大学(USC)现公布多项新举措以进一步完善大学知名的安全及安保系统,确保校园及其周边地区的安全。
这些新措施将着重于改善校园及周边社区的安全状况。措施中包括增加常年部署的社区安全员(neighborhood security ambassadors)人数、进一步完善安保技术、聘用更多安保人员、缩短校园巡逻车等候时间以及加强强制性安全教育等等。
南加大(USC)正在与中国留学生代表、学生家长和其他相关人士进行深入沟通,了解他们对校园安全的疑虑及相关建议。正是基于此次沟通,学校将出台新的安保改进举措。南加大(USC)领导层会继续与留学生、家长及其他有关人员合作,依据调研结果和相应分析,制定能够进一步完善校园内外安保系统的策略,其中还包括设立更加完善的强制性安全教育课程。
安保系统的改善举措包括:
• 增加常年部署(包括暑假)的社区安全员(neighborhood security ambassadors)人数,增加夜间在校园及附近社区巡逻的南加大(USC)公共安全部人员、洛杉矶警察局人员及自行车巡逻员(bicycle patrols)数目。
• 升级强化对校园内及邻近社区监控摄像机的视频分析系统,同时增加全天候管控监控摄像机的工作人员。
• 将免费校园巡逻车(Campus Cruiser)的覆盖范围扩大至整个南加大(USC)“反应区”,并缩短等候时间至十五分钟以内。
• 加快推出能让学生、教职工直接联络公共安全部的免费手机应用软件。
南加大(USC)也将继续完善安保教育课程。今年,所有暑期迎新营(summer orientation programs)已经开设了最新的安保教育课程,并会延伸至整个学年。南加大(USC)也为海外留学新生定制了新的安保培训计划和知识学习材料,例如,将在中国开展一些课程,以及播放配有中文字幕的相关视频。
从今年秋季开始,除了强制要求本科生参加安保教育课程外,南加大(USC)也将强制要求所有海外研究生参加安保教育课程。其中,不仅包括推广 “Trojans Care for Trojans” 学生守望相助计划,南加大(USC)还将通过学会在学生宿舍及留学生较多的学院里继续提供安保教育课程。大学最迟将于2015年秋季强制性要求所有在校学生每年参加安保教育课程。
南加大(USC)公共安全部还将成立一个海外留学生安全咨询小组,并设立海外留学生联络官,扩大邻近社区监察小组的规模。
南加州大学(USC)教务长兼学术事务高级副主席Elizabeth Garrett表示:“南加州大学(USC)致力于为学生提供安全的学习环境,所以学年开始后我们将会与更多学生组织会面。南加大(USC)的每个人都必须积极参与到安全校园的建设当中。安全的校园需要我们每个人负起自己的责任。营造安全的环境,既需要包括完善的预防和保障体系,也必须依靠全体学生和教职员工的安全防范意识。
安保改善举措将在过去两年南加大(USC)及洛杉矶警察局实施的强化制度的基础上展开,过去两年内已改进的具体项目包括:
• 管辖南加大地区的洛杉矶警察局西南分区已增加30位警员。
• 洛杉矶警察局已增派一位探员独立负责上述区域,洛杉矶检察长办公室已增添一位地区检察官。
• 洛杉矶警察局已在西南分区开始实施“预防性政策(Predictive Policing)”。(这一政策是一电子化的恶性事件预测及预防系统。)
• 南加大公共安全部已增加使用汽车、自行车及步行的巡逻人员数目。
• 南加大已扩展校园巡逻车护送(Campus Cruiser)服务
• 南加大已增加校园邻近区域的社区安全员(neighborhood security ambassadors)数目。
• 南加大在过去两年内加装了60个安全摄像头,并扩大了公共安全巡逻区域。南加大现有超过190个安全或车牌识别摄像头。
由于过去两年间所做出的一系列改变,南加大(USC)校园和邻近社区犯罪统计数据都呈现出明显的下降趋势。
南加州大学(USC)行政管理高级副主席Todd Dickey说:“南加大(USC)一直不断评估和改善已有的安保设施和服务。通过我们与洛杉矶警方的合作,这一地区的整体犯罪案件数目有所下降,对此我们感到欣慰。但是,纪欣然同学的惨案显示尽管我们一直不遗余力地进行预防和保护,这类犯罪行为仍然存在发生的可能。此次事件更加坚定了我们不断强化校园安保工作,寻求更多、更有效的安保方式,来避免此类悲剧再次发生的决心。”