Campus Security

The mission of the South Texas College Department of Public Safety is to provide an environment that is healthy, safe, and secure for students, employees, and visitors at all campuses, higher education centers, and for Dual Credit High School sites. The College’s Department of Public Safety consists of sworn police officers and security personnel. The Chief of Police for the department has more than 40 years of experience in law enforcement.

Our mission is accomplished by:

  1. Collaborating with other departments to provide training on crime prevention methods and techniques including the response protocols for active shooters, bomb threats, fires and other emergencies.
  2. The development of a comprehensive Multi-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan to ensure the safety of individuals and the protection of college resources. The hazards covered under this plan include hurricanes, tornados, severe weather and bomb threats.
  3. The acquisition and utilization of state-of-the-art technology to deter crime and protect the college community. This technology includes over one-thousand (1,000) high-definition surveillance cameras, digital radios and all police vehicles are equipped with high-definition cameras. Police officers also wear body cameras to further document incidents on College property.
  4. As required by Federal law, daily Clery Act logs are maintained, and crime statistics are submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for inclusion in the national crime-reporting database. The Clery Act Crime Statistics are provided for the following campuses and centers: Higher Education Center - La Joya, Mid Valley Campus, Nursing and Allied Health Campus, Pecan Campus, Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence, Starr Campus, and Technology Campus. Each year, all enrolled students, faculty and staff are notified of the availability of the Annual Security Report for the most recent reporting period. In addition to accessing the website, a copy of the report may also be obtained at the South Texas College Department of Public Safety.
  5. The implementation of the RAVE Mass Notification System, which has two features that provide you with information during a crisis or other significant event. Rave Alert Emergency Notification provides students, faculty, and staff with important telephone, text and email messages during a crisis or when the college is closed due to weather or other significant events. RAVE Guardian is a phone application that can be downloaded to your cellular device. The application offers a campus directory, inbox for emergency notifications, STC Department of Public Safety information, a section for personal medical information to be entered for first responders to be aware of and a safety timer. Guardian also allows you to send anonymous text messages to STC Police Dispatch to report incidents or suspicious activities.