Alabama A&M University is adding several more protective measures to its campus following a recent shooting involving a student officer at one of the school's dorms.
This shooting marks the second to occur on the Huntsville campus in the past two years.
As part of new preventative measures, the school announced last Friday that police dogs capable of detecting firearms and explosives will begin patrolling the campus as early as next fall.
The university has also increased public safety visibility across campus. A new Public Safety Department substation opened in the Knight Complex, the first satellite station on campus. Additionally, A&M partnered with a security contractor to increase patrols within the Knight and Foster complexes during peak hours.
“These are important steps to continue to increase our presence on campus,” Chief Montez Payton said. “So far, we have seen a very positive response to these changes, as the entire campus community understands the importance of improving our infrastructure for campus safety and responding proactively and quickly to emergency situations.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Black Tully emphasized that keeping campus safe requires a community effort.
“Campus safety and security are something we are constantly thinking about and working on,” Tully said. “Our team remains focused on finding ways to meet the needs of our ever-growing campus while keeping our students, staff and visitors safe.”
“It takes all of us to protect The Hill.”
Last year, $600,000 was invested in campus safety and accountability, including body cameras, upgraded surveillance grids and other enhancements on The Hill, and outdoor cameras are also being installed to expand the ability to monitor activity in parking lots and other key areas.
Austin Shipley is a staff writer for Yellow Hammer News.
