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Campus Safety Community Report

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Campus Safety

Announcement  •
University News  •

Message highlights: 

 A comprehensive review and engagement process has resulted in a report outlining DU’s upcoming improvements to our campus safety model. These improvements have been approved and will move forward as outlined in the report. 

Upcoming actions: 

• DU’s campus safety officers will not carry firearms, which is in line with the model we have today. In the case of an active shooter on campus, trained campus safety officers will have access to firearms stored securely on campus, with strict protocols for their use.  
• The development of a new 24/7 mental health response model to better respond to calls for behavioral and mental health concerns. 
• Increased campus safety transparency and engagement with the DU community. 

Dear DU community members,  

Over the past several months, many of you—faculty, staff and students—have given your time, thoughts and feedback while we conducted a thorough review of the campus safety model at the University of Denver. Many of these conversations were not easy. And yet, so many community members openly engaged on these important issues. For this, a sincere thank you.  

Based on the findings of a nationally recognized safety consultant, as well as feedback gathered from hundreds of individual stakeholders and many units and groups across campus, we are sharing our full report and our final determination with the community. These improvements are designed with one goal: to create a safer, more secure campus for all.   

We will begin implementing the following over the next 18 months: 

• Access to arms only in the case of an active shooter on campus. DU’s campus safety team will continue to patrol campus unarmed. However, should an active-shooter situation occur on campus, specially trained campus safety personnel will be able to rapidly access arms from highly secure campus locations, with the goal of ending the attack and reducing the loss of life.  
• Body-worn cameras for all officers. Adding body-worn cameras to every officer’s uniform will help provide accountability and transparency to the community with every interaction.  
• A mental health response model with a focus on mental and behavioral health interventions. With this model, we will be able to provide 24/7 in-person mental health crisis resources for DU students, faculty and staff while on campus—especially during overnight hours and on weekends when most Denver city services are typically closed.  
• Further improve community engagement. This includes increasing transparency and access to campus safety through regular engagement sessions, and by seeking continual input and feedback from the Campus Safety Advisory Council and the community at large. 

These important steps will not take shape overnight. Specific and detailed policies, procedures, training and governance will be developed by the Campus Safety Advisory Council and shared more broadly.  

To meet with Campus Safety Chief Michael Bunker with questions this week, please email campus.safety@du.edu. If you’re interested in scheduling an engagement session with Campus Safety leadership, please email Community Engagement Director Julianne Toce at Julianne.Toce@du.edu. Additionally, there are upcoming community coffee hours where you can have conversations with her and Chief Michael Bunker: 

Beans Coffee Shop 

Tuesday, May 14, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 

Wednesday, May 15, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. 

Thursday, May 16, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. 

Once again, thank you to all those who helped us come to these decisions with the intention of keeping this wonderful DU community safe. Please review the full report and look for more details in the coming months about our implementation.    

And if you have any questions, please reach out to campus.safety@du.edu. 

Sincerely,

Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor

Michael Bunker 
Chief, Campus Safety

 

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