Building on a series of initiatives that have transformed campus security, the University of Georgia will more than triple the number of emergency call stations across the university.
As part of more than $1.7 million in new safety investments announced this week by President Jere W. Morehead, the university will install 50 additional call stations across campus parking lots that primarily serve UGA students – significantly expanding security camera coverage with wide-ranging views and enhancing lighting in these locations.
UGA also will install additional security fencing on campus, concentrated on the Health Sciences Campus, and increase support for the UGA Police Department’s 911 Communications Center.
The university’s most recent security initiatives bring UGA’s total investment in safety and security enhancements over the last nine years to $25 million.
“The safety and well-being of our campus community has remained a consistent priority,” Morehead said. “We are constantly reviewing further initiatives to ensure that we provide a safe and secure campus environment.”
The first round of 23 emergency call stations was a key component of the comprehensive security enhancement package announced by UGA in 2024. These stations also offer Wi-Fi and facilitate calls using the internet as well as a cross connection with the PAWS Secure wireless network.
Other security initiatives implemented over the past year include:
- A 21% increase in police personnel.
- 12 new Campus Safety Ambassadors, who augment the efforts of UGA Police by serving as student escorts and providing extra “eyes and ears” across campus during evening hours.
- 4,000 feet of new perimeter fencing.
- 20 new Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) in strategic locations on campus. This system of sensors works in conjunction with UGA’s existing Campus Safety Camera System (CSCS) to provide an important additional technological resource for police investigating crimes.
UGA already has more than 600 camera views that are captured by CSCS, and in many instances they can also record license plates. The ALPR system, however, is designed specifically for that purpose and is positioned across campus to maximize the likelihood that drivers entering or leaving the UGA community will have their license plates recorded.
The ALPR system, like the university’s camera system, is among many sources of information the University of Georgia’s Police Department shares with Athens-Clarke County Police in real time. For more than two decades, UGA and ACC police also have shared information that enables each agency to see what the other is doing at any moment, immediately. This shared information includes:
- Radio communications.
- Call dispatching.
- Records management.
Additions to the safety and security team provide an enhanced security presence where students regularly study and congregate at night, including the Miller Learning Center, the UGA Libraries, the Tate Student Center, East Campus Village and the Ramsey Student Center. Augmented security personnel at the UGA Libraries ensure a security presence in all library facilities, while access to the UGA Main Library and McBay Science Library has been limited to UGA students, faculty and staff during evening hours.
Lighting upgrades, which began last summer and build on previous enhancements at UGA, include more than 650 lights that have been installed or converted to LED technology. These upgrades also include a focus on lighting for more crosswalks, particularly near residence halls with high foot traffic, supplementing the university’s ongoing efforts to evaluate lighting across campus.
The UGA community is responding enthusiastically to the university’s ongoing security initiatives.
Since the summer of 2024, the university has seen a 77% increase in the number of rides provided to students through the UGA Ride Smart program. This initiative, which was launched in December 2021, offers a 50% discount on Lyft rides for students from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The university also has seen a 28% increase in the number of students, parents, faculty and staff who have signed up for the UGA Safe app. Robust security features through the app include Mobile BlueLight, which immediately calls UGA Police and shares the user’s location in real time. Subscribers to the app also receive emergency notifications from UGA Police.
“Students feel safer because they are more aware of the safety programs that are in place across campus,” said Rock Rogers, president of the Student Government Association and a fourth-year student from Dublin. “They appreciate the way the university has shared this information with the student body.”
Funding for the new security initiatives, in addition to previously approved campus safety measures, has been provided from state resources as well as private contributions from the UGA Parents Leadership Council, the UGA Foundation, the President’s Venture Fund, the UGA Athletic Association and other internal and external partners.
The university will continue to work with its partners, both on- and off-campus, to further enhance safety and security, said P. Daniel Silk, UGA’s associate vice president for public safety.
“We greatly appreciate the support for these most recent safety investments from members of our university community,” Silk said. “They recognize that the protection of UGA students, faculty, staff and visitors is a shared responsibility.”
University Police Chief Jeff Clark added that his counterparts across the state and nation have reached out for details about UGA’s safety enhancements.
“Safety and security have always been our priority here at the University of Georgia,” Clark said. “These recent enhancements will enable us to create an even more secure learning environment for students, faculty and staff members.”