About Campus Security

The SPC College-wide Security Department supports the educational mission of the college by maintaining a safe environment that enhances the quality of life for all members of the college community. Officers strive to provide a safe "physical" environment in which our students, staff and faculty can teach, learn and grow but officers also strive to enhance the learning environment by providing helpful and supportive services to the college community.

College-wide Security provides a full range of services including crime prevention, traffic/parking enforcement, safety and security inspections as well as safety escorts to and from one's vehicle and crowd control for special events. The department maintains a close liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in implementing and coordinating campus security operations.

Security Officers

St. Petersburg College College-wide Security Department is organized as departmentally with almost 40 officers. Each officer is licensed in the State of Florida and possesses a class "D" security license. Officers are supervised by 3 Senior Security Supervisors, each of whom oversees 3 college campuses. Each shift at a campus or site is usually maintained with one of 14 Senior Officers. Sites are routinely patrolled and served by some 20 Security Officers assigned to the college campuses. Contract security officers are utilized to supplement security services at some sites. The officers are supervised and directed by one of the Senior Officers or Senior Supervisors assigned to that site. All officers are trained and licensed under the State of Florida Statutes Chapter 493.

Training

Officers receive in-service training in the following areas.

  • College policies and procedures
  • Legal Issues in college security
  • Incident de-escalation and incident control
  • Interview and communication techniques
  • Investigations
  • Report writing
  • Emergency Response including NIMS, ICS and other certified state and federal courses
  • Blood-borne Pathogens
  • Emergency Evacuations

Jurisdiction, Structure and Authority

Security Operations are supplemented with contract security officers who are scheduled for specific hours and locations. The Collegewide Security Department is supervised by the Director of Collegewide Security Services, in conjunction with the Senior Security Supervisors who are then responsible for the direction and supervision of all security personnel. Each campus or center has security officers to help provide a safe environment and most sites have a security office. Licensed and trained security officers patrol the campus grounds and parking lots during the hours that the campuses are open to students and staff. Our security officers are not certified police officers, but they work closely with local authorities. The officers provide an important service to our campuses through active patrol, observation and intervention. Senior Security Supervisors and Senior Officers perform security assessments and inspections, conduct interviews, complete incident reports and notify the local police authority when necessary.