Security Hybridization Recommendation at High Point University
Prepared by
Mikey Kennedy, Student at High Point University
Scott Morgensten, Student at High Point University
Hannah Nemanic, Student at High Point University
Report Distributed December 03, 2019
Prepared for
High Point University Security and Safety Department
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Mikey Kennedy, Scott Morgensten, and Hannah Nemanic
Students at High Point University
One University Parkway
High Point, NC 27268
December 03, 2019
High Point University Security and Safety Department
1911 N Centennial Street
High Point, NC 27262
Dear High Point University Security and Safety Department:
We are pleased to enclose a recommendation report regarding campus security, here at High
Point University. As part of our Public and Professional Writing class, we were tasked with
addressing an aspect of High Point’s campus. We chose to review the security measures
currently in place because the safety of our campus and fellow students is greatly important.
The report includes a survey of High Point University students, a comparison of security
measures at three comparable, North Carolina institutions, and the recommendation of a hybrid
security system. A hybrid security system is a combination of campus security and sworn police
officers. We researched the benefits and feasibility of implementing a hybrid system, as well as
the possible challenges and costs. We strongly believe that High Point University has the means
to create a hybrid security system.
We would like to thank the students who participated in our online survey. Their input was
valuable in determining possible improvements to HPU security. Additionally, we greatly
appreciate High Point University’s Emergency Management Coordinator, Mr. Harry Hueston,
and the Chief of Security, Jeff Karpovich, for conducting interviews with our group. The
information and analysis provided were influential in the formation of this report.
We hope you find our report helpful and will consider our recommendations.
Sincerely,
Mikey Kennedy Scott Morgensten Hannah Nemanic
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Table of Contents
Introduction to High Point University's Security Improvement Recommendations……………...4
Report Topic………………………………………………………………………………4
Report Purpose……………………………………………………………………………4
Background……………………………………………………………………………….4
Report Development……………………………………………………………………...5
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………....6
Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………...7
Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………...8
Survey of High Point University Students………………………………………………..8
Hybridization at Comparable Schools…………………………………………………...10
Wake Forest University………………………………………………………….10
Elon University…………………………………………………………………..10
Davidson College………………………………………………………………...11
Security System Comparison…………………………………………………….12
Legislation Preventing Security officers from Carrying Weapons………………………13
Challenges and Costs…………………………………………………………………….14
Benefits of a Hybrid Security System……………………………………………………14
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….15
Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………..15
Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………...18
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Introduction to High Point University's Security Improvement Recommendations
Report Topic
Campus security is responsible for the physical well-being of thousands of students,
along with the mental well-being of thousands of parents. This report analyzes the extent to
which other comparable schools utilize their own school-associated police departments along
with the benefits of hybrid campus security departments to lead to recommendations that will
enhance the security and emergency response preparedness on campus. High Point University
takes security very seriously; however, we wanted to investigate the possibility of advances in
safety.
Report Purpose
We chose to research the use of sworn police officers on college campuses in order to
recommend a hybrid campus security department. As students of High Point University, we take
the safety of our campus and peers seriously. We viewed this report as an opportunity to ensure
we are effectively prepared to respond to an emergency situation.
Background
In the past decade, school security has become a hot topic with school shootings
becoming more prevalent. We recently experienced a shooting threat here on High Point
University’s campus. With these developments in mind, our group felt the need to research the
effectiveness of introducing a campus-associated police department. Having a security system
that incorporates campus security officers as well as campus police officers is referred to as a
hybrid security system. Jeff Karpovich, Chief of Security at High Point University, stated during
an interview on November 8th, 2019 that High Point University was an outlier in this facet of
security, as nearly all other comparable schools utilize a hybrid security system.
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However, High Point University security has advanced greatly over the past 10 years.
According to Karpovich, the department of security only held 12 employees just over a decade
ago. During his time as Chief of Security, Karpovich has grown the department to over 130
employees. Candidates applying to work security at High Point University go through an
extensive hiring process. First, potential employees go through an initial interview process. They
are then evaluated physically, mentally, and psychologically. If the hiring committee feels the
individual is a good fit for the department after a second formal interview, the candidate
undergoes a background check, drug screening, medical evaluation, and a psychological screen
completed by a psychiatrist. After all of these steps are passed, the candidate is offered a
preliminary job.
It is important to understand that security officers hired at High Point University are
extensively evaluated for their position. However, they are legally unable to carry a firearm and
use lethal force in the event of an emergency. North Carolina law only allows for concealed
firearms to be inside of locked vehicles on college and university campuses, and the firearm can
only be moved if the doors of the vehicle are locked (“Guns”, 2019).
Report Development
Each and every student is affected by campus security on a daily basis. It is pivotal to the
overall well-being of our campus to ensure that students and staff feel safe while on campus and
our security department has the means to respond effectively to an emergency situation. In the
following pages, we will discuss utilizing a hybrid security system at High Point University. Our
discussion is presented in the following order: Survey of HPU students, legislation preventing
security officers from carrying weapons, hybridization at comparable schools, challenges and
costs, and benefits of a hybrid security system. First, we share an executive summary, followed
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by methods, then we will engage in the discussion of our findings. We will then end with a
conclusion, a list of recommendations, and a reference page.
Executive Summary
This report analyzes the opinions of 92 High Point University students regarding campus
safety and security, security hybridization methods of three comparable schools, and the benefits
of incorporating a hybrid security department at High Point University. The purpose of this
report is to provide an appropriate evaluation of the benefits of using a hybrid security system on
a university campus and recommend that High Point University incorporates such a system to
maximize the safety of our campus community.
To fully develop this report, we first created a Google Form to survey students at High
Point University, asking questions about how safe students felt on campus as a whole. We also
questioned their opinions on the presence of High Point Police on campus. We also conducted
interviews with two security managers at High Point University. We interviewed the Emergency
Management Coordinator, Harry Hueston, and Jeff Karpovich, the Chief of Security and
Director of Transportation at High Point University. We also analyzed the security department
styles of three comparable schools: Elon University, Wake Forest University, and Davidson
College.
In reviewing the findings of our research, we acquired some very interesting information.
Regarding the Google Form survey sent out to High Point University students, over 50% of
respondents reported they felt “safe” while on campus, and 31% reported feeling “extremely
safe.” However, 75% of respondents chose “yes” when prompted to determine if High Point
University Security could improve. In regard to evaluations of comparable school’s security
departments, we found that all three schools utilized hybrid security departments, having their
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own university police department on campus. We assumed this would be the case, considering in
our interview with Jeff Karpovich, he referred to High Point University as an “outlier” in terms
of utilizing a hybrid security department. We finally developed a running list of the benefits of
hybrid security departments on University campuses. Those benefits include; protection by those
legally able to carry a firearm, cost-effective way to incorporate a police department on campus,
and an overall increase in student and faculty perception of safety on campus.
Based on our findings, we determined that it would be most beneficial to our university to
incorporate a hybrid security department here at High Point University. We recommend that (1)
High Point University establishes their own independent police department on campus, (2) both
departments are equally divided amongst responsibilities to where campus security handles low-
level threats and disturbances and High Point University Police handle situations of a higher-
threat level, and (3) begin the hiring process by only hiring previously sworn North Carolina
police officers.
Methods
While this report focuses on incorporating a hybrid security department at High Point
University, we investigated the security systems and police departments at three other private
North Carolina universities of similar size: Wake Forest University, Elon University, and
Davidson College. Each institution had specific sections of their website dedicated to the safety
and security of their respective campus. We were able to compare and contrast the security
measures to those in place at High Point University. Through our research of other campuses, it
was clear that a hybrid security system was the main aspect lacking at HPU. Additionally, we
were able to evaluate the benefits of a hybrid security department on a relatively small, private
North Carolina University.
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We also conducted interviews with two security employees at High Point University. On
November 6, 2019, we interviewed the Emergency Management Coordinator, Harry Hueston.
We discussed the emergency alert system, coordination of high volume events, and the increased
police presence currently in discussion. We also interviewed Jeff Karpovich on November, 8,
2019. Karpovich is the Chief of Security and Director of Transportation at High Point
University. We discussed the hiring process of security officers, the potential for a hybrid
security system, and the current vetting system used when evaluating visitors at the various
entrances to campus.
Lastly, we created a Google Form to survey students at High Point University. We asked
questions about how safe students felt on campus as a whole, in classrooms, and within their
residential communities. We also inquired about their opinions on the increased presence of
High Point Police Department on campus. Our goal was to receive 50 responses. We received
92 responses between Thursday, November 7, 2019 and Wednesday, November 20, 2019.
Discussion
Survey of High Point University Students
Since security directly affects the students on campus, we created a survey via Google
Forms. We sent the survey out to a variety of groups on campus, with the goal of receiving 50
responses. In total, we collected 92 responses. The survey asked a variety of questions
addressing how safe students felt on campus as a whole, in the classroom, and within their
residential community. Figure 1, below, highlights that an overwhelming majority of students
feel either safe or extremely safe.
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Figure 1: Graph Displaying Survey Results from 92 High Point
University Students Regarding Safety
The survey also asked respondents to consider if they felt the security measures at High Point
University could be improved. 75% of respondents answered yes when prompted about
improvements to security, as seen in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Graph Displaying Survey Results from 92
High Point University Students Regarding Security
Improvements
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While it was encouraging to know that our fellow students have a sense of safety while
on campus, it was clear that improvements should be made to make students feel even safer. We
also included an open-ended section of the survey where students could provide possible
advancements in High Point University security. However, only forty-seven of the 92
respondents chose to answer this portion of the survey. Of the 47 suggestions, 26 of respondents
pointed to an improved visitor vetting system. If High Point would implement a hybrid security
system, sworn police officers could assist the security officers in determining a potential threat to
campus. Additionally, six respondents expressed the need for a university police department.
Hybridization at Comparable Schools
As part of our evaluation of High Point University’s security, we investigated the security
measures in place at three other North Carolina institutions: Wake Forest University, Elon
University, and Davidson College.
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private institution of a relatively similar size to HPU,
with 5,225 total undergraduate students (“WFU at a Glance: Undergraduate Admissions: Wake
Forest University”). WFU currently uses a hybrid security system which means it has both
campus security and sworn police officers (“Chapter 6 - Campus Safety”). The Wake Forest
University Police Department received its accreditation in 2008 (“Accreditation”). To maintain
their accreditation, the department must comply with the standards of policy and procedures,
administration, operational procedures, and support services (“Accreditation”).
Elon University
Elon University is another comparable university to High Point, with 6,277 undergraduate
students (“Facts & Figures”). Elon uses a hybrid security system similar to Wake Forest
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University. Elon University has 21 sworn police officers as part of the Elon University Police
Department, and 14 Community Security Officers, or CSOs (“About Campus Safety & Police”).
The main goal of its hybrid system is to “provide a safe and secure campus environment for
students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus” (“About Campus Safety & Police”). Both the
EUPD and the CSOs patrol campus, by foot and by vehicle, 24-hours-a-day year round (“About
Campus Safety & Police”).
Davidson College
Davidson College also utilizes a hybrid security system. While Davidson is a smaller institution,
with just 1,843 students, Davidson illustrates the fact that even smaller institutions are
implementing a school police department (“Fast Facts”). Davidson Police Department officers
are sworn law enforcement officials, and they hold the same power as sworn North Carolina
municipal and county police officers (“Public Safety”). Both campus security and the Davidson
Police Department patrol the campus 24 hours a day throughout the entire year (“Public Safety”)
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Security System Comparison
Figure 3 is a visual comparison of the security measures in place at High Point
University, Wake Forerest University, Elon University, and Davidson College.
Figure 3: Bar Graph Comparing High Point University’s Security
Department to Other Similar Universities
As can be seen above, High Point University is the only institution that does not have a
university police department and a hybrid security system. Although High Point University can
compete in the other categories, it appears that High Point University should implement a hybrid
system to become equal with comparable schools.
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Legislation Preventing Security officers from Carrying Weapons
It is easy to simply present the idea that campus security should carry firearms on campus
and undergo extensive active shooter response training. While that would be a much cheaper and
easily feasible solution, it is legally impossible. North Carolina law prohibits any person from
knowingly carrying a firearm, concealed or not, on campus property of any public or private
primary school, community college, college or university (“Guns in Schools in North Carolina”).
The only exception to this statute is that sworn police officers are permitted to carry a firearm on
all public or private educational institutions. While an overwhelming majority of colleges and
universities around the nation have similar state statutes preventing the presence of firearms on
educational grounds, some states have begun allowing concealed guns to be carried on campus.
The figure below depicts the distribution of concealed carry laws across the United States
regarding educational grounds.
Figure 2: Map Displaying the Diversity of Firearm Policies Across United States
College and University Campuses
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As can be seen in Figure 1, North Carolina resumes its position as a state that only allows
concealed guns in locked cars in parking lots (“Guns on Campus’ Laws for Public Colleges and
Universities”).
Challenges and Costs
With any incorporation of a brand new security system of any kind, there will be
challenges. These challenges can range from costs to training requirements, or simply revolve
around the adaptation of the faculty involved. In regard to costs, one convenient example is
Washington State University, a public school with 21,000 students. Although this is not a
comparable school, it is very challenging to find information on police department costs without
having to file a FOIA (freedom of information act request). Washington State pays roughly
$777,000 in salaries alone, not even accounting for cars, equipment, communications, and
training costs (Hair). High Point University is a much smaller school, meaning we would not
have to pay near as much for a department that is a fraction of the size of Washington States.
Nonetheless, police departments on college campuses are costly, and it would be a challenge to
appropriate those funds correctly.
In the state of North Carolina, all police officers must be NC Basic Law Enforcement
Training (BLET) certified and pass all state standards for peace officers (“Campus Police”). This
process could take a considerable amount of time, especially for a brand-new department. It
would be very beneficial that officers were recruited from North Carolina police departments
instead of incorporating new recruits.
Benefits of a Hybrid Security System
While costs and resources needed to develop a hybrid security system may present
challenges, the benefit to the safety of High Point University's campus is invaluable. First and
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foremost, incorporating a police force within our security department would allow for us to be
protected by officers legally able to carry a firearm. With rising tensions surrounding threats of
school shootings across the country, having an armed presence on campus would not only serve
as a deterrent, but also as an immediate protectant in the case of an emergency situation. The
safest and quickest way to stop an armed person with bad intentions is to have an armed person
with good intentions at the scene immediately (Karpovich).
Secondly, with dividing our campus’ security department between security officers and
police officers, we cut the costs of having to pay for a complete police department within our
campus. Also, students have better opportunities to correct their misbehavior if they are met by
security first and warned that once the police show up, there are no more chances to do the right
thing. Security officers tend to have more discretion considering they are enforcing High Point
University’s conduct code instead of state or federal law. Security provides a first option for low-
level threat situations, while a police force provides the necessary means to effectively handle a
high-risk situation.
Lastly, having a hybrid security department at High Point University would increase the
overall sense of safety on campus. Along with the increasingly high numbers of school
shootings, there is no doubt that outside of our gated community lies a dangerous, high-crime
area. Having a security department that incorporates our own police force would give all
members of our campus community an increased sense of safety while living on campus.
Students, faculty, and staff would find comfort knowing that we are surrounded by officers with
the training, resources, and weaponry capable of diffusing an emergency situation in the most
effective manner.
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Conclusion
After conducting a survey of High Point University students, it became clear that a
majority of our peers believe that improvements need to be made regarding security on our
campus. We researched a variety of options to strengthen the security already in place and met
with the Emergency Management Coordinator, Harry Hueston, and the Chief of Security, Jeff
Karpovich. Through our research and interviews with campus security personnel, implementing
a hybrid security system is the best choice for High Point University.
The High Point University Security Department can use the three comparable schools of
Wake Forest University, Elon University, and Davidson College, all of which have a hybrid
security system, as potential models for implementing the system here at HPU. Implementing a
hybrid system will allow High Point University to reach the security standard of most
universities of similar size. A hybrid system will give campus security the ability to respond to
low level threats more efficiently, while also providing the means to address and eliminate a
high-level threat.
Recommendations
The following recommendations have been compiled based on the research presented
above:
Implementation of a Hybrid Security System
● High Point University should adopt a hybrid security system. As North Carolina
law states, only Law Enforcement officials are permitted to carry a firearm on
educational property. With the incorporation of a police department on campus,
High Point University would have all of the necessary means to effectively
address an emergency situation or threat on campus.
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A Two-Part System
● High Point University should not only adopt a hybrid security system but that it
should be segmented into two parts; minor and major threat incidents. Minor
threat incidents, such as noise complaints, parking violations, directing traffic, and
a number of other low risk situations should be addressed by campus security.
● For major threat incidents, the newly formed High Point University Police
Department would be responsible for addressing and defusing these situations.
Some examples of high threat incidents would be traffic accidents, threats of
violence, or trespassing visitors on campus.
Recruitment of Officers
● Recruit officers from North Carolina departments to be the first High Point
University Campus Police officers. This would alleviate the stress of having to
train and swear in officers with no experience. As mentioned previously, the
amount of time it takes all police officers to become NC Basic Law Enforcement
Training (BLET) certified and pass all state tests is a challenge for starting a new
department (“Campus Police”). An abundance of time and resources would be
saved by only allowing experienced officers to acquire positions as High Point
University Police officers.
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Works Cited
“About Campus Safety & Police.” Elon University, https://www.elon.edu/u/bft/police/about-
campus-safety-police/.
“Accreditation.” University Police, https://police.wfu.edu/about-us/accreditation/.
Anderson, Bryan. “College, Municipal Police Departments Adopt Restrictive Reporting Practices.”
Atavist, 1 Mar. 2018, https://banderson.atavist.com/triangle-police.
“Campus Police.” Wikipedia, 14 Nov. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_police.
“Campus Safety & Police.” Elon University, https://www.elon.edu/u/bft/police/.
“Chapter 6 - Campus Safety.” Office of Residence Life and Housing, https://rlh.wfu.edu/guide-to-
community-living/chapter-6-campus-safety/.
“Facts & Figures.” Elon University, https://www.elon.edu/u/about/elon-at-a-glance/facts-and-
figures/.
“Fast Facts.” Davidson, https://www.davidson.edu/about/fast-facts.
“Guns in Schools in North Carolina.” Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 6 Nov. 2019,
https://lawcenter.giffords.org/guns-in-schools-in-north-carolina/.
“Guns on Campus’ Laws for Public Colleges and Universities.” Armed Campuses,
https://www.armedcampuses.org/.
Hair, Calley. “The Price to Pay for Students' Safety; Arm Private Campus Police.” The Daily
Evergreen, 12 Feb. 2015, https://dailyevergreen.com/11188/opinion/the-price-to-pay-for-
students-safety-arm-private-campus-police/.
Hueston, Harry. Personal Interview. 6 November, 2019.
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Jeffrey, Courtland. “Mass Shootings in the United States: When, Where They Have Occurred in
2019.” Arizona ABC 15, 14 Nov. 2019, https://www.abc15.com/news/data/mass-shootings-in-
the-united-states-when-where-they-have-occurred-in-2019.
Karpovich, Jeff. Personal Interview. 8 November, 2019.
“Public Safety.” Davidson, https://www.davidson.edu/offices-and-services/public-safety.
“Staff.” University Police, https://police.wfu.edu/about-us/staff/.
“WFU at a Glance: Undergraduate Admissions: Wake Forest University.” Wake Forest University,
https://admissions.wfu.edu/facts/.
