Safety Updates & Initiatives

• Catholic University Creates Office of Emergency Management 
• Night Safety Walk at Catholic University Focuses on What’s Been Done, What’s Remaining
• New University Dashboard Helps Community Keep Track of Safety Initiatives
• President Kilpatrick Shares Safety Action Plan at Town Hall
• University Safety Walk Assesses Security of Campus Perimeter

• University Community Update on Safety Walk and Town Halls
• President's Report on Safety Walk and Town Halls

• December 2024
• June 2024
• April 2024
• March 2024
• February 2024
• January 2024
• December 2023
• November 2023
• October 2023
• September 2023

• Increase DPS Visibility
  DPS officers increased foot, vehicular, and bike patrols to raise visibility inside and along the perimeter of campus. Additional DPS patrol vehicles were put into service, enabling our officers to enhance their visibility while reducing unwanted activity on and around campus.

• Arm DPS Officers
  Catholic University increased our armed officer presence on campus, and more DPS officers are carrying authorized firearms. The necessary training, certifications, and credentialing have been ongoing, and we expect to have an armed DPS presence on every shift. 

• Hire Supplemental Security
  The University engaged City Security, a security support service that provided one officer to our campus to patrol the entrance of the Brookland/CUA Metro station on McCormack Street. Before the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year, we increased the number of additional officers at McCormack to four, so an officer patrols the Metro stop and near the DuFour Athletic Center from 8 a.m. to midnight every day.

• Campus Safety Training
  New safety training materials were developed by University Communications, Department of Public Safety, D.C. Metro Police, and other university divisions to help remind students, faculty, and staff about resources available on campus to keep them safe. Materials became available at the start of the academic year.

• Hiring an Emergency Coordinator
  The University hired a full-time director for emergency services.

• Install Keycard Access
  360 Card Readers were installed on the exterior of academic and administrative buildings to make certain that only authorized persons are entering those buildings (all residential buildings and some academic buildings already had this feature).

• Install Security Cameras
  697 security cameras have been installed since 2021 (700% increase).

• Coordinate with MPD
  To enhance campus safety, Catholic University requested increased patrols on John McCormack Drive and assigned an MPD representative to train new students at Freshman Orientation. We also sought a dedicated police officer for Monroe Street during peak times and explored MPD/District programs for campus safety.

• Engagement with City Leadership
  President Kilpatrick reached out to both President Patricia McGuire of Trinity University and President Wayne Frederick of Howard University to begin a conversation on how to address crime in our respective neighborhoods. He also met with Mayor Bowser to discuss crime in the District, its impact on our community, and the safety of our campus. 

• Installation of 33 panic alarms
• Coordination of frequent emergency drills on campus and enhanced training for DPS officers
• Improved safety education sessions for the University community 
• Creation of clear building addresses and signage allowing first responders to quickly and directly find the fire, police, or health emergency when 911 is called.

Continued Installation of Door Locksets
The University continues to make progress on installing door locksets. This is a phased installation of code compliant door hardware that incorporates a shelter-in-place function. The new locksets will be installed on classroom doors throughout the University.

• Addressing overgrown vegetation to make cleaner lines of sight and transit
• Examining the campus after dark to ensure safety lighting is sufficient