Brown is deeply committed to the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. The safety and security of the Brown community is not only a priority, but at the heart of the University’s core institutional values that affirm that the University “holds itself responsible for generating the conditions necessary for every individual member of its community to thrive.” We recognize that a secure campus is vital to fulfilling our mission of education and research, and to providing all members of our community with a sense of security and belonging as they pursue knowledge in service to society. The University’s goal is a secure campus defined by preparedness, vigilance, and mutual care. Brown’s Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management remains committed to being community-centered, proactive, and grounded in best practices, modern technology and clear communication.

Brown University’s Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management (DPSEM) is a fully functioning police department that serves the Brown community year-round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, patrolling the campus to deter crime, develop community relations, and respond to calls for service and assistance. The department’s mission emphasizes crime prevention, problem solving and joint officer-community responsibility, while maintaining our historic openness to, and engagement with, the Providence community Brown calls home. DPSEM also works in close partnership with the Providence Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in both preparing for and responding to incidents. DPSEM hosts training exercises on the Brown campus with external partners, including for hostile intruder situations, as well as educational opportunities such as executive level leadership courses for law enforcement supervisors.

Brown’s public safety officers include sworn police officers who are specially trained and certified to meet both professional policing standards and the unique needs of a university setting, as well as non-sworn safety staff who provide essential layers of support complementing the work of sworn officers. This ranges from campus building security to community assistance. Brown’s sworn officers are Rhode Island state-certified graduates of a police academy, licensed as Special Police Officers with the authority to maintain safety on and around the Brown campus and enforce the laws of the state of Rhode Island and the ordinances of the City of Providence. Please review the Brown DPSEM website for additional safety information and resources.

On Dec. 22, 2025, the University announced the appointment of Hugh T. Clements, former chief of police of the Providence Police Department, as interim vice president for public safety and chief of police. Chief Clements is nationally recognized for his expertise in community-oriented policing, having served as director of the federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for the U.S. Department of Justice. He also is a former member of the Brown community, having served as a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs for more than four and a half years from 2018 to 2023. He reports directly to Brown’s president during his interim leadership of the department, underscoring the University’s commitment to clear accountability, leadership continuity and a sustained focus on campus safety at a time when safety is a critical part of healing and recovery for its community.

Brown continues to maintain an enhanced security presence across campus with a strong and visible public safety presence across campus, including College Hill and the Jewelry District. The University has doubled the number of Brown Public Safety officers on every shift for increased patrols and has increased private security personnel at events and other high-traffic locations on and near campus. As needed, Providence Police Department officers will continue to be part of this effort.

This additional support means that community members may also see police vehicles from numerous cities in and around local neighborhoods; these officers, along with privately contracted Allied Universal security personnel, are conducting frequent patrols throughout campus. This enhanced public safety presence is intended to support a secure and reassuring environment for the Brown community. We intend to retain this heightened presence as the University completes a comprehensive Campus Safety & Security Assessment, incorporating community input, and makes subsequent determinations about security posture.

This enhanced presence is occurring under Chief Clements’ leadership and in accordance with Brown’s overarching safety and security principles, including regarding the close partnerships DPSEM maintains with the Providence Police Department and other law enforcement agencies noted above. We also are enhancing our threat assessment and detection capabilities, using internal and external tools and expert resources.

Working with local, state and federal law enforcement, Brown has significantly enhanced safety measures across the Brown campus — both on College Hill and in the Jewelry District. We have installed new panic buttons and security cameras in select buildings. The panic buttons provide immediate, direct access to DPSEM during an emergency. New blue light phones have been added across campus, and cameras have been integrated with upgraded phones in key locations. These key installations and updates will continue throughout the semester. We encourage you to review the location and operation of these blue light phones on the Blue-Light Phones page of the DSPEM website. Additional installations and updates will continue throughout the Spring 2026 semester as the University continues to coordinate with external agencies and implements new measures on an ongoing basis. Other important measures include technology, extensive training, and a continued focus on effective communications and coordination, which will continue to evolve to support Brown’s comprehensive approach to safety and security moving forward.

As announced Jan. 12, Brown ID cards continue to be required for access to all buildings equipped with card readers that are Brown-owned and Brown-occupied. Entry to buildings with keys continues to be limited to those with authorized access or those who display a Brown ID. Certain public-facing buildings, such as the Galen V. Henderson Admission Welcome Center and the Bookstore, remain open to the public with additional on-site security personnel. The following access measures will be in place beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 20, and we will continue to assess and adjust as necessary in the coming weeks.

1. Buildings with Classrooms: Not including the Warren Alpert Medical School, most buildings in which academic classes are scheduled will be accessible via card swipe at the exterior door(s) to any member of our community with a Brown ID card. In general, most buildings with classrooms will be accessible via card swipe between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.; however, building-specific accessibility will vary beyond these hours to accommodate student organization activities, events, meetings and other programming.
2. Other Buildings: Academic, administrative and residential buildings that do not host classes, as well as the Warren Alpert Medical School (222 Richmond St.), will remain in “card access mode,” meaning only individuals with a Brown University ID will be able to enter the buildings via the exterior door(s) in a manner consistent with their card access privileges.
3. Campus Services Buildings: Buildings offering shared campus services, including, for example, Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, Page-Robinson Hall and South Street Landing, will continue to be accessible to all community members with a Brown ID card at the exterior door(s) during the building’s standard business hours. Buildings that have tenants beyond Brown may have building-specific exterior door entry standards that accommodate other tenants, even though access to Brown-specific space will remain limited. All dining halls and athletics and recreation facilities will continue operations with regular card swipe requirements and enhanced security measures.

We are strongly encouraging all students, faculty and staff to play an important role in keeping our community secure. Anyone who sees any activity or persons in any building that prompts a concern, should call DPSEM at 401-863-3322, and Brown community members can send an instant tip using the RAVE Guardian app (see more information on this below).

Guests, meeting attendees, vendors and other authorized visitors may continue to be granted access by members of the Brown community who have permission to grant access to the specific space, as normal, and Brown community members should plan to greet and escort guests in those instances. Uncredentialed or uninvited individuals should not be granted access. Community members with Brown ID cards should not prop open any doors and/or allow anyone who is not authorized to enter.

Individuals who are unable to access required workspaces or instructional spaces should contact their supervisor, department manager or building manager so access issues can be addressed. Please plan ahead when requesting access changes, as some adjustments may require approvals or coordination across units. Community members who need to replace or update a Brown ID card may do so at the Card Office in Page-Robinson Hall, open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. More information is available on the Card Office website.

Beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 20, all buildings in which academic classes are scheduled will be accessible via card swipe to any member of our community with a Brown ID card during building-specific operating hours. This includes Barus & Holley, the Lassonde Innovation and Design Hub, and the Engineering Research Center. Within the building, lecture halls 166 and 168, eight immediately adjacent and proximate classrooms (155 through 165), and the immediately adjacent hallways, restrooms and entrances to that area of Barus & Holley will be closed and inaccessible to everyone. 

Because of the location of the Dec. 13 shooting within this complex — and the resulting disruption to building systems and access during the response, evacuation and investigation that followed — a number of security enhancements have been completed in these buildings, including cameras at all points of ingress and egress and door alarms to signal propped doors. A dedicated presence of Brown Public Safety officers will remain at the buildings as classes resume next week. 

The University recognizes that resuming operations in Barus & Holley is particularly sensitive, and to prepare for the return of students, faculty and staff more broadly to the building, extensive work took place over Winter Break at the building. Brown installed additional security cameras and has relocated spring classes and lectures away from areas of the building where the Dec. 13 attacks occurred. Mindful of the concerns that many community members have raised about continuing to use those spaces this spring, lecture halls 166 and 168, eight immediately adjacent and proximate classrooms (155 through 165), and the immediately adjacent hallways, restrooms and entrances to that area of Barus & Holley will be closed and inaccessible to everyone. The closed areas will be sealed and secured behind new walls and emergency access doors. None of the closed areas will be visible to occupants and users of adjacent spaces, and no one will be able or allowed to enter those spaces. Nearby first-floor hallways that have a similar look and feel to the closed spaces are being updated with paint and carpet to change that look and feel.

For the Spring 2026 semester, classes and lectures will be relocated from these sensitive areas, with the remainder of Barus & Holley reopened in time for the semester’s start. Any longer-term consideration and decisions regarding the future of the building, including consideration of appropriate memorialization, will be made over time in consultation and conversation with the Brown community.

All residence halls on the Brown campus remain accessible only by Brown ID card swipe, and individual rooms within residence halls are accessed by keys. Only those students and Brown staff who reside in a specific residence hall, and other authorized Brown staff, have access to swipe into the building. Authorized Brown staff are able to access individual rooms in an emergency. For information about visitors and guests to residence halls, see the question earlier in this FAQ, “How is building access managed for non-Brown visitors and guests?” 

Brown’s shuttle and safety escort services continue to operate and remain available to support secure movement around campus, particularly during evening and overnight hours. For information concerning the operation of the Brown University Shuttle (BUS), please check the Transportation website or call 401-863-3157. Students may also use the following two services, both of which area free and coordinated through DPSEM:

• Brown onCall Shuttle, which provides transportation to and from areas in the onCall service area not accommodated by the Brown Evening Shuttle route after 7 p.m. (5 p.m. after daylight saving time ends in November)
• Safewalk, a student-staffed walking escort program

University, departmental and student events may continue as planned this semester. Event leaders are encouraged to consult the DPSEM Event Security Review Policy for information and guidance as it is updated over the coming weeks. Student groups should consult directly with the Student Activities Office to assist with event preparedness in consultation with DPSEM.

Equipping campus community members with the training needed to respond in the event of a safety threat remains a top priority for Brown, along with maintaining best practices for campus security. Over the course of the spring semester, we will roll out a combination of voluntary and required safety and preparedness training. Guidance will include how to report emergencies or suspicious activity, as well as how to use new security enhancements like panic buttons and blue light phones. Training will also include trauma-informed programming related to active shooter and other emergencies. We are working with experts in the field and our internal stakeholders to ensure that these programs reflect the needs of the Brown community.

Two external reviews are being launched with the oversight of the institution’s governing board, the Corporation of Brown University:

1. After-Action Review: An essential part of any recovery and response following a mass casualty event like the one that has devastated Brown’s campus, this After-Action Review includes a complete assessment and evaluation of campus safety in the period leading up to the tragedy, the preparedness and response on the date of the shooting, and the emergency management response in the aftermath.
2. Comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment: This assessment is reviewing Brown's safety and security policies, procedures, infrastructure and training. The work builds on current measures underway to enhance security — including an on-site physical security assessment of buildings, access points, cameras and technology, and other security infrastructure — and will incorporate community input, which will inform any longer-term improvements throughout the spring semester and beyond.

The University is committed to sharing key outcomes of both reviews with its community and the public.

Brown’s primary emergency notification system remains BrownAlert, which reached approximately 20,000 people minutes after Brown’s Department of Public Safety was notified about shots fired on campus. It delivers urgent warnings quickly and effectively through phone, text and/or email. 

Sirens are a general, non-targeted system used for campus-wide emergencies including natural disasters. While the siren is listed on the Brown emergency website as one of three mechanisms to alert our campus in the case of an active shooter, whether it is used depends on the circumstances of the emergency. People who hear the siren are instructed to seek shelter by immediately entering buildings. On Dec. 13, Brown’s public safety team made the decision not to deploy the siren to avoid potentially sending community members into the path of an active shooter who was reported to be in a University building complex. Instead, public safety personnel used the BrownAlert system to alert people by phone, email and text and provide specific information on what location to avoid. At the same time, Brown’s officers were dispatched to the location of the reported shooter to immediately engage in response.

The unique nature of college campuses is that they are more like small cities than corporate headquarters or primary or secondary schools operating in self-contained buildings with one or a few points of entry. While Brown has long-standing requirements of card access at all times for certain buildings, just like cities and communities across the country, most spaces on campuses do not lock doors at every point of access, or police regular entry. In the daytime, most buildings on college campuses are open and accessible, while after hours, ID card swipes are required for entry. 

This is common across the nation and has traditionally been the case at Brown for many buildings — including academic buildings, the campus center, athletics facilities and many facilities with administrative offices — while, depending on operations within the building, some others required card or key access during daytime hours. However, as noted elsewhere in this FAQ, Brown has heightened security on campus significantly since December, and our large-scale systematic security review of the entire campus will assess whether any further long-term changes or enhancements may be appropriate.

Brown has an expansive network of security cameras, with more than 1,200 cameras installed across campus buildings and spaces in both interior and exterior locations. Among other locations, these are deployed especially in high-traffic areas such as streets, sidewalks and campus walkways with significant foot traffic; and in academic and administrative buildings with an emphasis on entry and exit points. Even so, they do not extend to all the hallways, classrooms, laboratories and offices across the 250+ buildings on campus. Since December, the University has installed new panic buttons and security cameras in key locations. New blue light phones have been added across campus, and cameras have been integrated with upgraded phones in key locations. These priority installations and updates are expected to continue throughout the semester.

Community messages from the University regarding the events of Dec. 13, 2025, including the emergency response, are available to the Brown community, visitors and all members of the public on the University’s Brown Ever True Roadmap to Recovery website.

We ask all community members to use the following tools and resources to stay safe: 

RAVE BrownAlerts: During critical events, Brown uses this system to deliver instructions to students, faculty, staff, and others via phone, text and/or email. Any member of the greater community — including parents and family of Brown students, or members of the RISD community, for example — who would like to opt-in to receive BrownAlert updates related to this incident should text BrownEmergencyList (as one word, no spaces) to 67283.  If at any time an individual has unsubscribed from receiving RAVE alerts from Brown, only the individual who unsubscribed themself can renew their own subscription. (Additional information is included in the later question in this FAQ, “I have signed up for RAVE alerts in the past but did not receive an alert on Dec. 13.”)

RAVE Brown Guardian App: All students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to download and use the RAVE Brown Guardian app, which allows the user to send a personal safety alert directly to Brown’s Department of Public Safety and enables GPS location sharing so officers can respond quickly if assistance is needed. This can be used to directly or anonymously submit tips about criminal behavior or any issue of concern in real time.

BrownReady website: The BrownReady website reflects emergency preparedness guidance written by experts to keep college and university campuses safe, including information about programs, emergency communication systems, training and response.

Brown.edu website: Brown’s Emergency Information website — is the official source for information from the University about emergencies affecting campus. In the event of an emergency, the site will be updated continually with information about the nature of the emergency, how to remain safe and the status of campus operations. Messages about the Dec. 13 incident and Brown’s response continue to be posted on the Community Messages page on the Brown Ever True Roadmap to Recovery website.

Members of the Brown community can and should always play an important role in keeping the community secure. This includes being responsive to alerts and reporting any public safety or security concerns. If a Brown community member is unsure whether a security concern warrants a call, it is best to call public safety to allow the department to assess and determine any appropriate action.

• Call to report concerns: It is vital that all members of the Brown community fully understand the mechanisms for reporting public safety and security concerns. Store these numbers in your devices or otherwise keep them with you:
  
  Emergency Police, Fire, Medical Response (24-hour): Call the Brown Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management (DPSEM) at (401) 863-4111
  
  Non-Emergencies and Safety Concerns: Call (401) 863-3322 or email campus_safety@brown.edu
  
  For Accessibility Options: Text (401) 863-4111
   
• Receive emergency alerts: We ask that all students, faculty and staff confirm that their contact information is up to date in the RAVE BrownAlert system. This ensures that you receive timely emergency notifications via phone, text, and email. Families of students can directly opt in to receive Brown emergency alerts by texting BrownEmergencyList (one word, no spaces) to 67283. We recognize that there may be limitations due to international service providers or country-specific restrictions; additional information for international service is included in the later question in this FAQ, “I have signed up for RAVE alerts in the past but did not receive an alert on Dec. 13”). Families with questions are encouraged to email family@brown.edu for assistance.
   
• Download RAVE Guardian: Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to download the RAVE Guardian app, which includes a GPS-enabled button to contact DPSEM. This can be used to submit tips about criminal behavior or any issue of concern in real time. It also provides an additional mechanism for contacting public safety if you need assistance, with embedded GPS capabilities to allow emergency responders to locate you quickly and dispatch help in an emergency.
   
• Use the outdoor emergency phones/blue lights on campus: There are approximately 150 outdoor phones located on or near the exterior of all residence halls and most university buildings. Outdoor emergency phones are housed in gray or yellow enclosures and have a blue light in or near the enclosure. These phones have a direct speed-calling button (marked in red) with an automatic identifier so that the Communications Officer will know your location when the call is answered. More information on the location and operation of these blue light phones is available on the Blue-Light Phones page of the DSPEM website.

If you are unsure whether a security concern warrants a call, it is best to call public safety to allow the department to assess and determine any appropriate action. The Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management is reviewing its internal systems to ensure concerns are routed, tracked and addressed consistently, and we will share more about this new model.

First, confirm that your contact information is up to date in the RAVE BrownAlert system. Also, if at any time an individual has unsubscribed from receiving RAVE alerts from Brown, only the individual who unsubscribed themself can renew their own subscription. 

Members of the Brown community with current contact information in the RAVE BrownAlert system, would have received emergency alerts on Dec. 13, as well as parents and families who were added to the RAVE alert system by their student. Parents who opted in temporarily for a specific event—such as Commencement, Parent & Family Weekend, or PCUG—would not have received alerts, as those opt-ins automatically expire after the event concludes.

We recognize that there may be limitations due to international service providers or country-specific restrictions, and families with questions are encouraged to review the guidance below and reach out to family@brown.edu for assistance as needed: 

International Phone Numbers and Limitations: Parents and families located outside the United States may encounter limitations based on their home country’s regulations and/or their international service provider. While some international numbers are able to opt in successfully, others may not receive alerts due to country-specific restrictions on texting or calling.

For example, some countries limit or regulate international SMS messaging. In certain cases, messages may need to meet specific requirements (such as language restrictions), or international texting to and from the U.S. may be blocked entirely by the service provider. These limitations are outside of Brown’s control.

Recommendations for International Students & Families: For international students—including PCUG students—we recommend that students use a U.S. phone number while on campus. This may be a U.S.-issued phone or an unlocked phone with a U.S. SIM card.

If there are no restrictions on possessing a foreign phone in the family’s home country, one option is for the student to:

• Obtain an inexpensive U.S. phone,
• Opt that number into the RAVE system, and
• Share the phone with their parent or family member for emergency notifications.

How to Opt In with an International Number: When opting in with an international phone number, parents should enter:

• A plus sign (+),
• Followed by the country code,
• Any required regional or area codes,
• And the full phone number
• Do not include spaces, dashes, or punctuation (other than the plus sign).

Example (United Kingdom):
If the country code is 44, the regional code is 1, the exchange is 173, and the individual number is 123555, the correct format would be: +440173123555.

If families experience difficulty opting in or have questions about their specific situation, they are encouraged to contact family@brown.edu for assistance.