The UNL Police Department utilizes modern technology to help maintain peace and deter crime. Technology also allow the Police Department personnels to be more efficient in their job by being up-to-date in real time regarding happenings on-campus and during large-scale events such as football game days. Below are some tools that our department utilize to help achieve its safety goal on campus.
Building Access
The University Police Department houses the Building Access Department at 300 N 17th Street on City Campus. The Building Access Associates are responsible for card access additions/revocations for personnel, adjusting electronic door schedules, monitoring alarmed areas, and assisting the University in its access control needs. Like any good security measures, this process allows access to only individuals who have a reason to be in a space. Electronic card readers or number pad entries are installed on all building exterior doors and are scheduled to automatically prevent public entry once business hours has past.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
University Police utilizes an extensive GIS application to analyze incidents occurring on campus and to assemble data and other information from numerous databases on campus. This information includes detailed floor plans, classroom and building use, and utility infrastructure which allows centralized coordination of information. This also aids departments in managing their facilities and tracks police and medical calls to identify trends and analyze crime.
This system also has valuable use on Husker football game days. Police and medical calls are tracked in real time from several hours before and after the game. Using this spatially displayed information, University Police is able to station officers, security, and medical staff to those areas of the stadium with a higher incidence of activity. With over four years of data preparing for the security and safety of these games is made easier.
Security Cameras
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln utilizes a system of cameras for the purpose of safety, security, and facilities maintenance. Cameras are located in many areas throughout campus including parking facilities, public areas of housing units, and primary pedestrian areas. Cameras are typically purchased by University departments for monitoring of their specific operations.
A campus camera standard is in place which helps ensure consistency in the use of this system allowing all cameras to be available for use in emergency situations. All cameras on this system are able to be viewed by University Police. The recordings are most often used to gather information through reviews of historical images. Camera owners and police are also able to conduct random real time monitoring as needed. The policy for security camera use can be found here.
Communications Center
Dispatchers from the Communications Unit provide invaluable real-time information to aid police officers on their job. The dispatchers operate within a spacious room filled with multiple screens. These dispatchers monitor live security camera feed from 1,500 security cameras around campus to view activity 24 hours a day. They also utilize the GIS to inform officers on the field. Aside from monitoring campus security camera feed, these dispatchers also monitor local news so that they are aware of any potential environmental hazard or threats developing in the Lincoln community.
