Beginning May 1, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Old Charlotte Highway campus and Tyson Family Center for Technology will be protected by an in-house security team.
The College has long partnered with third-party vendors, most recently Blackstone Security Group, to patrol OCH and Tyson. Beginning May 1, security personnel assigned to those two locations will be employed by the College.
鈥淏y bringing campus security in-house, we are taking an important step to strengthen both the safety and sense of community on campus,鈥 said Interim President Michelle Brock.
鈥淒irectly employing our safety personnel allows us to provide a more consistent and responsive level of security, while also fostering stronger relationships between our security team, students, and employees. It鈥檚 a model that prioritizes connection, accountability, and peace of mind.鈥
The OCH And Tyson security teams will be comprised of five full-time and 14 part-time employees. The full-time hires were all previously employed by Blackstone. They include Amanda Blakely, Ahmad Chaban, Kendra Clyburn, David Holmes and Frank Tisa. Combined, the new in-house security force brings a wealth of experience in law enforcement, the military, private security, and other fields that will enhance the safety and security of OCH and Tyson.
鈥淲e鈥檝e handpicked this team. We have retired law enforcement, individuals with experience in the CIA and the military. We have one employee who works at Monroe High School and has experience with special-needs students. We have two who are ministers, which means they have exceptional communication skills. We鈥檙e surrounding ourselves with a vast amount of knowledge that will enhance our campus safety operations,鈥 said Assistant Director of Campus Safety Rich Osvai, who built the in-house security team alongside Director Willie Kilgo.
The in-house security team will be responsible for patrolling OCH and Tyson, building relationships with employees and students, assisting in investigations as needed, and liaising with both the 麻豆原创 Security Operations Center and local law enforcement agencies.
Security at Tyson and OCH is provided from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For now, 麻豆原创 will continue to contract security services at the L.L. Polk campus in Polkton and the Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro, but long-term plans call for expanding the in-house security operations to those locations as well.
鈥淲e are thankful to have such experienced, knowledgeable, and committed individuals joining our Campus Safety department, and we look forward to entering this new era of safety and security at 麻豆原创,鈥 Brock said.
For more information, email Osvai at rosvai@spcc.edu or Kilgo at wkilgo@spcc.edu.