Assessment of the training needs of campus security departments at public major universities in the United States

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to identify the priority training needs of campus security departments. The problem was the expanding law enforcement duties of campus security officers related to the increase in the frequency and severity of crime on university campuses. For many officers, training necessary to carry out these duties was often unavailable due to limited resources. Considering the training resources currently available from the federal government, this study sought to determine if these resources would be appropriate for meeting the training needs of campus security departments. The subjects of the study consisted of the chiefs of campus security departments of public major universities in the United States which offered campus housing. The population of universities totaled 107, of which 76 participated in the study. A questionnaire was developed which contained four demographic questions and three questions designed to rank 53 tasks performed by campus security. Statistical techniques employed were the Standard z-score and the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Cronbach's coefficient alpha.

Findings and Conclusions: Findings were that certain tasks performed by campus security officers were identical in priority and kind to those performed by traditional law enforcement officers. Also, priority training needs of campus security departments in most regions of the United States were very similar. Conclusions were that certain law enforcement training offered by the federal government might be appropriate as a source of training for campus security departments. Also, an assessment of the training needs of a campus security department in one region could be used to predict the training needs of campus security departments in most other regions with a fairly high degree of accuracy.