College of Charleston Ranked Among Safest Campuses in America

The National Council for Home Safety and Security recently announced its 2018 ranking of the Safest College Campuses in America, and College of Charleston made the Top 100. The list is based on the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the Campus Safety Security Survey put out by the U.S. Department of Education. The highest-ranked university campuses boast low total campus and local area crime. CofC came in at No. 54 in the nation.

CofC Chief of Police Robert S. Reese attributes the high ranking to everyone on campus.

“Community policing really helps when there are concerns on campus,” says Reese. “It’s not just Public Safety protecting the campus, it’s the faculty, staff, residents assistants, and students. The key is communication.”

To illustrate the benefits of community policing, Reese mentions bike thefts near residence halls as an example. “We first ask around if students are remembering to lock up their bikes, and then we ask them what they are seeing. Many times we install security cameras, but only after talking to residents about the areas and which spaces might be susceptible to theft,” he says.

The National Council for Home Safety and Security is a trade association comprised of home security professionals across the United States. The council advocates for safe communities and home safety with a strong focus on community involvement.