About

On behalf of the Campus Safety Department, I would like to welcome you to our home on the Web. Whether you are a current student or staff member or are interested in exploring educational or employment opportunities at Biola University, I appreciate your interest in the Campus Safety Department.

Biola University is a wonderful place to receive an education. We have a committed and dedicated staff that cares deeply for the safety and protection of our students. We are committed to providing the best possible service at all times to this community. Biola is located in the city of La Mirada, which continues to be one of the safest communities in the region. The La Mirada Community Sheriff Station is located at City Hall, directly across La Mirada Blvd from Biola University. Let me provide you with an overview of Campus Safety and the services we provide to the Biola community.

The Department of Campus Safety has several operations and programs including:

Field Operations — Field Operations consists of personnel who perform a broad range of duties including patrol of campus, crime prevention, providing safety escorts to students, responding to major emergencies 24/7, responding to medical calls, safety education and awareness, and supporting students and campus activities. There are Campus Safety Officers who are armed with firearms while on duty, solely for the protection of students and others on campus. Strict guidelines and accountability requirements are in place for armed officers. Our officers regularly meet with students and respond to on-campus residences for student and staff needs. Campus Safety officers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Officers are augmented by student cadets who assist with student escorts, building unlocks, traffic direction and parking enforcement, student CSCs (community service cadets) who patrol the student apartments along Rosecrans Ave at night, and gate attendants who staff the gatehouses to provide visitor parking permits, give visitor information, and control access to campus at night.

Communications and Emergency Operations — Communications and Emergency Operations works out of our Communications Center. Communications and Emergency Services Operators manage all radio communications, serve as the university operator, monitor and appropriately dispatch officers to all fire and panic alarms across campus, are responsible for sending emergency text and email notifications via the University's emergency notification system, monitor the Rave Guardian safety app and respond to emergency requests submitted via the app, communicate with the campus community via the university public address system, and monitor a system of 250+ campus security cameras (which cover parking lots, residence hall entrances and other key areas of the University).

Administrative Operations — Administrative Operations handles campus parking management, parking permits for staff and students, citation appeals, bicycle permits, the coordination of access requests to campus buildings, and all general inquiries to Campus Safety. If you have any questions regarding parking enforcement, permits, any other special needs on campus, or questions regarding any of the Campus Safety divisions and programs, please contact the Campus Safety office at campus.safety@biola.edu or by calling the Campus Safety office at (562) 903-4877.

Travel Safety & Risk Mitigation — The Office of Travel Safety & Risk Mitigation (TSRM) conducts pre-travel assessments for university-sponsored travel, provides travel groups with resources to mitigate location-specific risks such as pre-travel training (including First Aid/CPR), emergency kits, and reliable communication systems, and coordinates a university team to manage crisis situations that emerge during all university-sponsored travel. Please email any questions regarding TSRM to travel.safety@biola.edu.

Community Outreach Unit — We value diversity across our campus and established a community outreach unit in 2014 to develop procedures and accountability systems and conduct training field personnel, liaison and build partnerships with student groups, assess trends in community outreach, and to sponsor and participate in programming and activities that further develop the relationship between Campus Safety and Biola’s diverse population.

Emergency Preparedness — Campus Safety coordinates the University’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) which is comprised of key departments and areas across campus able to respond to major emergencies, and houses the University’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) which will be used by the ERT in the event of a major emergency. Campus Safety conducts annual training for the ERT, as well as exercises, training scenarios, drills, and tests. In addition, Campus Safety conducts joint training at the start of each semester with the Department of Residence Life for Officers, Communications and Emergency Services Operators, Residence Directors (RDs), and Graduate Assistants (GAs) that covers responding to emergencies on-campus and other student safety issues. Emergency Building Coordinators assigned to buildings across campus receive annual training on responding to major emergencies. Information on responding to emergencies for students and employees can be found in the emergency response guidebook.

Emergency Medical Technicians — Campus Safety has an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program that was developed in close partnership with the Student Health Center. Several Campus Safety Officers are certified as EMTs to provide basic and emergency medical services to students and the campus community after the Student Health Center hours of operation. EMT trained officers are able to respond to incidents including injuries, natural disasters, and other major emergencies.

First AID/CPR Training for Students — Campus Safety has a team of certified First Aid/CPR instructors to provide First Aid and CPR training. These instructors provide training for student travel including missions teams, international travel, and other student activities, as well as providing regular training to Campus Safety and Student Life personnel, and other student and employee groups across campus.

Self Defense Training — We provide specialized training for students in physical assault prevention through the Department of Physical Education. This program, known as RADS, is offered year-round. We take this proactive approach to equip students to keep themselves safe when they go off-campus, and the safety awareness taught is applicable even after they graduate. More than 1,900 students have taken these classes to date. For further information about RADS and course offerings, and information regarding crime prevention tips please contact the Campus Safety Administrative Office.

Our highest priority is to provide for the protection and safety of students, staff, and visitors to our campus. In addition to the measures undertaken by the operations and programs above, we have an emergency notification system that will be used in the event of an emergency or disaster that affects the campus to notify students, staff, and faculty via text message. Students are automatically enrolled with the cell phone number they provide to the University.

More information on Campus Safety services and policies, as well as statistics of certain categories of reported crimes that occurred on campus in the previous three years, can be found in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

Our focus will continue to be the safety and well-being of our students. Your suggestions for how we can improve our services or concerns regarding any issue of public safety are always welcome.

Sincerely,

John Ojeisekhoba
Associate VP and Chief of Campus Safety

It is an unfortunate fact that criminal incidents of all types occur on college campuses. Most colleges around the country investigate and make public the nature and frequency of crimes. Biola University follows this practice and believes that reporting this information to the public increases community awareness about taking steps to prevent criminal activity.

Biola encourages victims of crimes to report incidents to the Department of Campus Safety regardless of how insignificant the crime may appear. To report a crime, a victim or witness should call (562) 903-6000 or dial "0" on any campus phone. Campus Safety Officers will also assist victims who want to report crimes to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Biola University places a high priority on your personal safety. The Department of Campus Safety has taken several steps to prevent crime. Some of these efforts include:

• Extensive Surveillance System
• 24-hour patrol
• Officers dispatched by radio
• Alarms in key areas
• Card key entry systems in areas
• On-campus safety escort service
• Gatehouse at Main Entrance and La Mirada Blvd. Entrance

The patrol jurisdiction of Campus Safety officers is limited to buildings or properties owned or leased by Biola University within the city of La Mirada. Campus Safety Officers are empowered to arrest individuals for all crimes committed on Biola property under the authority of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Los Angeles County Sheriff. The MOU is granted under the authority of Penal Code Section 830.7 and grants all powers of arrest under Penal Code Section 836. All arrestees are turned over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) for appropriate processing. While not a law enforcement agency, Campus Safety efforts focus on keeping campus safe by enforcing some state and local laws (e.g., trespassing, weapons violations, drug violations, etc.) as well as university policies on campus property.

The partnership and support of the Biola Community and everyone who visits our campus is a vital part of Campus Safety’s success in keeping our campus safe.

We greatly value your suggestion, input, and constructive criticism. Please email your feedback to campus.safety@biola.edu. All feedback is reviewed by the Chief or a designated senior administrator. If you have a specific question you would like answered, please make sure to include your contact information so we can get back to you.

If you wish to make a complaint regarding an employee of the Campus Safety Department, please refer to the section on Filing a Complaint.

Biola University Campus Safety continually strives to provide for the safety and security of the Biola community while providing a high level of service. Complaints about our officers and other Campus Safety personnel are taken seriously. Each complaint is thoroughly investigated and reviewed by a senior administrator or applicable university official. The full University complaint process is here.

If you provide your contact information you will receive a written response once the investigation has been completed, however, please be aware that some aspects of the outcome regarding personnel matters may be confidential.

To make a complaint, please email campus.safety@biola.edu and provide the following information:

• Your name and contact information (optional*)
• Date, time, and location of the incident
• Description of the incident and Campus Safety personnel involved
• Name and contact information for any witnesses
• Any other supporting information (photos, video, additional details, etc.)

* If you wish to make a complaint anonymously you may do so, however, be aware that we will be unable to contact you, which may affect the investigative process.

If you wish to make a general complaint about the Campus Safety Department, safety measures, campus vehicle & safety regulations, or other matters, please email your feedback to campus.safety@biola.edu (see the section Give Feedback for more information).