DPS to secure campus for inauguration, football game


The Department of Public Safety will work to safely control the large crowds on campus throughout the day on Sept. 20. While the inauguration expects to draw a large crowd, the USC-Utah evening football game will also keep the University busy.
(Daily Trojan file photo)

The Department of Public Safety will have all hands on deck at President Carol Folt’s inauguration at Alumni Park Friday. The Department will deploy additional officers, surveillance cameras at the center of campus and put up barriers to prevent vehicles from entering.

Folt will be sworn in at the 12th presidential inauguration in USC history before a crowd of approximately 10,000 to 11,000 attendees, based on DPS estimations. Due to the size of the crowd, at least 95% of all DPS officers will attend or work in some capacity to ensure the safety of everyone throughout the day’s events, DPS Chief John Thomas said. There will also be a football game against the University of Utah Friday evening.

“Friday is going to be a very busy day for the University,” Assistant Chief David Carlisle said. “We’re expecting a very large crowd on campus for the events that will be going on.”

Additional CSC security officers will be on campus to help restrict traffic. DPS recommends that skateboarders, bicyclists and electric vehicle riders do not ride around the area.

Abiding by normal protocol, the Los Angeles Police Department will be on-scene as well with its bomb-sniffing dog to ensure there are no explosive devices at or around the campus.

DPS has also set in place live-monitoring surveillance cameras centered at Alumni Park. Being able to tilt and zoom on the cameras will allow the designated officers to track the large crowd throughout the event. 

“We’re going to focus a lot of cameras on the center campus,” Carlisle said. “We usually have five special surveillance officers trained to operate those cameras, patrolling the crowd with those surveillance cameras.”

DPS will also have special mobile barricades in place during the inauguration to ensure that no driver can intentionally enter the center of campus with a vehicle. “If somebody came in even driving a three-quarter-ton pickup at high speed, we’ll stop it,” Carlisle said. 

A DPS special intelligence officer is also working with LAPD to mine social media to prevent disruptions at the inauguration. 

“We monitor all social media in case we see something that concerns us,” Carlisle said.

While DPS does not anticipate any interferences, officers are prepared for worst-case scenarios. 

“We want to ensure the overall safety of the majority that everyone that is in attendance can enjoy this great day for the University,” Thomas said. “The No. 1 priority is ensuring that the event is safe and that we have taken all the necessary precautions.”

There will be an information area outside the Student Union building Friday so attendees can report public safety concerns. DPS will work with Fire Safety and student EMTs in the case of a medical emergency.

“I have every confidence that our dedicated department of public safety team and their first responder partners are prepared to ensure the safety of our campus community during this celebration of our community and our University,” Folt wrote in an email to the Daily Trojan.