ST. GEORGE — Dixie State University was recently ranked as one of the top 50 safest colleges in the nation by BackgroundChecks.org.

In an effort to identify the safest college campuses in the country, BackgroundChecks.org studied data collected by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Postsecondary Education from 2011 to 2013. The full listing is available on their website.

Dixie State made the list thanks in part to the DSU Security and Campus Police Department’s commitment to being present on campus. The force has six full-time officers and two part-time officers.

“We are a state-certified police agency,” Don Reid, chief of campus security, said. “Our officers are armed state police officers and graduates of the Utah State Police Academy. They are certified EMTs and have college degrees.”

During busy times on campus, one officer is in the campus security office monitoring footage from the more than 500 cameras situated throughout campus, another is walking through buildings, keeping an eye on classrooms and a third is patrolling campus in a vehicle equipped with various types of emergency-response equipment.

Campus security also has a mass alert system that can send out emergency notifications to the cellphones of every student, faculty and staff member. In addition, TV screens in the lobbies of all major buildings and external speakers can instantly stream emergency messages.

Additionally, officers have been trained on how to respond to numerous active shooter scenarios. They also give weekly crime prevention and personal safety presentations to First Year Experience classes.

“Our officers go to as many critical incident tactical training schools as we can each year,” Reid said. “We also do annual employee training as to what we need to do in the event of a critical incident.”

For more information about Dixie State University’s Security and Campus Police Department, visit the DSU website.

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