Your Safety: Our Commitment

Good morning. 

Today, I want to talk about one of our highest priorities – the safety and security of every person - employee, student, patient or visitor - who comes onto our campus or into a UMMC-controlled facility.  

Several weeks ago, a UMMC employee was randomly assaulted while walking on campus on the way to work, without a robbery attempt, by an individual who had been a patient and discharged from the VA. It was a horrible, random incident that should never have occurred. Quick work by UMMC and VA police yielded an arrest of the assailant. 

Some have asked why a memo didn’t go out about this incident. As I have heard from some of you and spoken with the individual involved in this assault, I have questioned the decision we made in the moment. In this particular situation the assailant was caught minutes after the incident and therefore was not a threat to others. There were other confounding factors. Another assault occurred nearby about the same time, not on our campus, but did result in a patient coming to our hospital.

In the last year or two, in efforts to prevent these types of events, we have made significant commitments in staffing, operations and public safety strategy. Of course, our UMMC Police officers can’t be everywhere, always, but we are committed to putting the highest premium on your personal safety and that of our campus visitors. 

If there is a threat to the campus at large, we use the Everbridge app (part of the Alert U system), text messages and other mechanisms to alert the campus broadly. That level of communication alert is typically reserved for incidences of pending, immediate or believed threat to personal safety or when required by the Clery Act. 

Presently, our sole focus continues to be on creating environments that are as safe as possible. We are fortunate to have one of the state’s largest police forces – 102 officers strong when new ones are onboarded July 1 – dedicated daily to protecting us and responding to events. Each of the men and women who wear a UMMC badge deserve our appreciation. We expect a lot from them, and they are always up for meeting any challenges successfully. 

Last year, UMMC Police investigated 30 assaults, in various settings, involving a UMMC employee, down from 51 in 2022. Even one of these is too many, but this 41% decline in two years shows our focused efforts are working. Vehicle burglaries also saw a steep drop, only four in 2024 from 27 in 2022, an 85% decline. This is, in part, due to increased staffing and more strategic placement of officers and lighting and enhanced technology being used by our police department. 

Assessing areas and trying to find ways to enhance security is a never-ending process. The more areas UMMC Police can find that may be a problem before an incident is a win. Last year, they, in collaboration with other UMMC departments, conducted 108 threat assessments and 16 security reviews of at-risk areas. Finding ways to prevent or lessen the chance of an incident is the best security we can experience. You are also a key part of safety on campus. If you see something suspicious, call campus police. If you have ideas for improved safety and security measures, send in a comment to the VC Notes inbox or share those ideas with your supervisor.  

Through memorandums of understanding with Capitol Police and the VA hospital, our safety footprint has strengthened, the zone of protection has widened, and there are more trained officers and security personnel who are looking out for your safety. Also, renovations in the Alumni House to expand the UMMC Police department will provide helpful tools like a holding cell, interview room and more complex camera and monitoring systems. These enhancements and other commitments are getting the department closer to accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which evaluates agencies across 460 law enforcement best practices. All of this furthers this institution’s goal of providing as safe a working, learning and care environment as possible. 

Information about our UMMC Police and Public Safety Department can be found online. Their webpages include important phone numbers – see below – how to file a report, information about signing up for the Alert U system to get timely safety-related notifications and the department’s annual security report. Also, they publish a daily crime log of calls to dispatch that provides a significant level of transparency. In addition, we are continuously evaluating new technologies, upgrading outdated ones and seeking ways to enhance all our safety efforts. 

We are committed to providing a safe working and learning environment. It is our duty, and you deserve that; your well-being is essential to making the biggest impact on our effort to create A Healthier Mississippi.