GCU and Campus Safety

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Published on Jan 12, 2017

For our Lopes, Grand Canyon University becomes a home away from home. Campus is where students form a new family with fellow Lopes, grow and experience the independent GCU college life. While students make new friends and live the fun Lope Life, campus safety remains a main concern for many parents (and understandably so).

In response, GCU values our commitment to providing a safe campus, security services and extensive resources for students to report or respond to issues. Since this commitment is a top priority, we protect our students, faculty, staff and guests with the following initiatives.

GCU’s Independent Police Department

At the end of summer 2016, GCU announced that the university ensures campus safety with its own full-fledged GCU Police Department. GCU will certify 25 officers with the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training (AZPOST) as part of its police force of 177 members. Certified and highly trained GCU police officers help make our campus the safest possible environment and can respond more quickly to incidents. The university police force also leaves additional resources for the Phoenix Police Department to focus more on reducing crime in the area surrounding campus.

The Neighborhood Safety Initiative

GCU is in the midst of a five-year, $1 million partnership with the Phoenix Police Department to improve safety in West Phoenix – where the university calls home. This first-of-its-kind partnership project, called the Neighborhood Safety Initiative, pays Phoenix police officers overtime each week to help support the declining crime rates and manage problems in the community. Within several months, full ownership of campus law enforcement responsibilities will transition from the Phoenix Police Department to the GCU Police Department.

Department of Public Safety

GCU’s campus police force will work hand-in hand with Public Safety to uphold the university’s strong security measures. These include 24/7 security patrols, guard stations at every entrance, ID checks before entering campus, parking decals and bag checks at GCU Arena events. Blue light phones to report emergencies stationed throughout campus, TIPS incident reporting system, emergency broadcast text notifications, escort programs, 24/7 dispatch services and training for active-shooter scenarios all help support a safe and secure campus. Our university guarantees that we follow the highest standards and enforce policies and procedures to take action in protecting our GCU community.

For more information, contact Public Safety at 855-GCU-LOPE.

We understand concerns parents may have over their student’s safety and wellbeing while living away from home. That is why we provide top-of-the-line services and resources from our new GCU Police Department and Department of Public Safety. Our goal is to take on the responsibility of protecting your child, so your student can focus on their academics and you can have peace of mind.

Grand Canyon University is committed to the safety of our campus community. To learn more about the GCU campus, visit our website or contact us using the Request More Information button at the top of the page.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.