University of Memphis opens campus crime information center

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (WMC) – A new investment by the University of Memphis is intended to give students and parents a sense of security at school.

The university recently established a University Crime Information Center (UCIC), which puts it at the forefront of campus security.

“This is a turning point for the university and the university community,” said Keith Humphrey.

Humphrey was hired as the University of Memphis police chief in February and said it was a significant expansion of her deployment.

“This gives us the opportunity to get a more comprehensive view of our campuses in real time,” Humphrey said.

The UCIC provides campus police with enhanced search capabilities; they can send alerts about suspicious activity and offer virtual escorts.

The escort gives them the opportunity to follow a person across campus on their way home, which goes hand in hand with their Tiger Walk program.

“We can actually monitor someone leaving a location and monitor them until they get to the place they're supposed to be. We call that a virtual escort, and that's a game changer for us,” Humphrey said.

With 1,200 cameras on campus, they can be both reactive and proactive in addressing many of the petty crimes that occur on campus.

Humphrey stressed that there are over 20,000 people on a university campus at any one time and that it is therefore crucial to always know what is going on.

“We can do more to keep our students, faculty and staff safe. And we can also do more to identify those who commit crimes,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey said they are looking for more security guards to monitor the system 24/7. If you are interested, please contact the University of Memphis Police.

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