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Panel highlights disparities in campus policing training and urges standardization
Summary
Witnesses told the Assembly Emergency Management Committee that campus safety practices and legal authorities vary widely: public universities' sworn police meet POST standards while many private-campus public-safety officers fall under BSIS rules. Panelists urged standardization of training, clearer wayfinding protocols, and funding to equip campus responders.
Committee members pressed campus and public-safety leaders on discrepancies in training and authority between public-university police and private-university public-safety departments, an issue witnesses said affects on-campus response times and capabilities.
David Carlisle, assistant chief at USC Department of Public Safety, described the university's investments in mass-notification systems, threat-assessment teams and realistic active-shooter drills conducted with municipal partners. "Emergency notification systems were extremely important," Carlisle said, noting USC can send text alerts to its community within minutes. He described limitations faced by private institutions whose public-safety personnel are regulated by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) and typically receive far less required training than POST-regulated peace officers.
Carrie Holler, bureau chief at the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), described new POST requirements: more than 40 state academies and roughly 7,000 recruits expected to graduate this year; effective April 1 all recruits will receive a minimum of 16 hours of standardized active-shooter training in the basic academy. Holler said continuing education for incumbent officers varies by agency and that POST is developing guidelines for non-academy training.
Witnesses and committee members also raised operational challenges unique to campuses. Variations in building names and internal campus wayfinding led to examples where municipal responders could not quickly locate an incident. Tulare County's "Active Net" program was cited as a model that assigns standardized building identifiers so that a dispatch reference such as "Building E3" maps to a physical location across sites.
Speakers urged the Legislature to consider whether private-campus security staff should receive comparable training to sworn campus police, and whether state support is needed for workman's-comp coverage, protective equipment and technology such as remote camera systems. Policy changes were framed as a mix of fiscal choices and operational standards rather than immediate statutory mandates; the committee asked staff to review testimony and potential options.
The hearing did not adopt legislation; committee staff indicated they will synthesize testimony and may propose follow-up work on standardization and targeted funding assistance.
