At USCA, the safety and well-being of our community members are always at the top of our mind. A truly safe campus can be achieved only through the cooperation of all students, faculty, and staff. Many people contribute to the safety and security of the campus. The majority of crimes on campus are crimes of opportunity. The willingness of students, faculty, and staff to secure their property and report suspicious activity is essential to preventing thefts and other crimes.
The mission of the USCA Police Department is to interact with and serve the campus community, protect life and property, enforce the law, and provide emergency medical first responders to the campus community.
Police officers work with the campus community in a cooperative community policing effort to prevent crime from occurring and to respond and provide assistance to victims once a crime has occurred.
Authority
The University Police Department is the primary agency responsible for policing property owned, operated, leased by, or under the control of USC Aiken. All officers are appointed and commissioned as state constables by the governor of the State of South Carolina and are certified by the SC Criminal Justice Academy. They are empowered to enforce the laws of South Carolina with statewide jurisdiction and arrest powers.
Professionalism
University Police is committed to providing professional services to the university community. The department’s effectiveness largely depends upon the community’s assistance and cooperation. Because of this, each officer and staff member strives to promote open communication and maintain an atmosphere of courtesy, fairness, and concern.
Services/Crime Prevention
Uniformed officers provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. These services include emergency response to crimes in progress and life-threatening incidents, foot patrol, escort services, and limited parking lot assistance (unlocking cars and providing jump starts). All officers are CPR/AED qualified through the American Red Cross to assist with life-threatening situations.
University Police actively participates in improving safety on campus. This is accomplished through community outreach programs such as the “See Something, Say Something” Campaign, Coffee With A Cop, and Alcohol Awareness. Increased officer presence in the most active parts of campus is a top priority.
Goal
The University Police Department’s goal is to provide each community member with the most effective service and protection within our means. Therefore, it is essential that the community we serve has faith in us and is aware of all that its police department has to offer.
Alerts
The university uses your emergency notification information to alert you to real-time life-threatening events and unscheduled campus closures. You should keep this information up-to-date.
You’ll be prompted once each major semester to update your information the first time you log into SSC. However, you may also update your information at any time.