WSU looks to enhance campus safety measures

Washington State University is working to improve safety on all its campuses.

The institution passed an executive policy for the coordination of police and public safety services to standardize public safety procedures and create training opportunities across its system, according to a news release by WSU.

The policy allowed the university to make a public safety council that includes representatives across all campuses. The group will coordinate and share resources system-wide while updating policies to align with the OneWSU strategic plan, according to the news release.

Its first monthly meeting took place in January, and members have begun discussing policies for the use of force, complaint procedures, anti-bias policing and campus emergency notifications. They also identified beneficial trainings like trauma-informed policing techniques, among other topics, according to the news release.

WSU Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said the policy will go a long way providing consistency across the system.

“We’re working to ensure as much consistency as possible from a safety and security perspective for students and visitors,” Jenkins said, “regardless of which physical campus they are on.”

Jenkins added he will lead the new council.

The Pullman and Vancouver campuses are the only ones with a police force. Everett, Tri-Cities and Spokane locations have non-commissioned security personnel. Every campus has cooperation agreements with local law enforcement, according to the release.