NJIT Rated 6th in the Nation for Campus Safety

The Department of Public Safety at NJIT has been ranked sixth nationwide for its campus safety initiatives. The recognition comes from Safe Campus, an independent organization that strives to improve the overall safety and security of U.S. college and university students, and annually rates campuses across the country for their safety measures. 2020 marks the third consecutive year that NJIT placed among the Top 25 of eligible U.S.-accredited higher-education institutions — 4,298 this time around.

“It is both a privilege and an honor to be recognized for making a difference in student safety. This ranking is truly a testament to the department’s commitment to our community policing and crime prevention philosophies,” said NJIT Police Chief Joseph Marswillo, then pointing out, “Our successes are a result of the partnerships and mutual trust built between the NJIT and Newark communities.”

Safe Campus acknowledged Public Safety for its comprehensive plan to reduce motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and enhance pedestrian safety. In implementing this plan, the department worked with Essex County to increase physical traffic control and raised the number of vehicle safety checkpoints. It also introduced new technologies, including portable radar signs and a specialized traffic safety vehicle. Additionally, Public Safety collaborated with both local police departments and the Newark community on a range of traffic safety-related education and awareness programs. These steps reduced MVAs by 20% as of mid-October 2019.

Another noteworthy achievement that contributed to this year’s significantly higher ranking is the department’s concerted efforts to have the entire NJIT community trained in Active Threat Training/Emergency Response Training, otherwise known as ALICE (for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate). Working with the ALICE Training Institute and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, Public Safety blended in-person learning with online training for the student body. Its promotion of the program to staff resulted in 98% of NJIT’s full-time employees completing the training.

Further advancing ALICE at NJIT is the department’s partnership with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), which will train Public Safety officers in its highly tactical and elite practices for active-threat response. This arrangement marks the first time the NYPD has allowed an outside agency to train with its own officers, and it is expected to serve as a model for future participation by other agencies.

“I sincerely commend all our men and women of Public Safety who work tirelessly around the clock,” Marswillo added. “I also would like to thank the NJIT students, faculty, staff and senior leadership, who continue to show their unwavering support for our department. We could not have achieved this recognition without the collaborative effort from the community we so proudly serve.”