As part of ongoing efforts to maintain a consistent standard for security cameras across Brown buildings with similar uses and profiles on campus, the University is establishing a uniform standard for cameras at student residential facilities. We are commencing work this summer to install safety cameras at all points of ingress and egress for all Brown residence halls.

This responds directly to feedback received from the Brown community about additional measures the University could undertake to enhance feelings of personal safety, and continues an initiative to align campus buildings to a consistent standard. We remain focused on supporting a safe, secure and welcoming campus environment for all who work, study and live at Brown, and the camera installation is part of the University’s ongoing security assessment of campus facilities.

In this letter, we share the following:

1. More details about aligning security cameras at campus buildings to a consistent standard, informed by community feedback.
2. Our standards for privacy, information-sharing and ongoing collaboration about camera policy.
3. How this work builds on more than a decade of security investments for Brown. 

Our approach to safety on campus relies on a layered model. It intentionally balances advanced technology, dedicated safety and security personnel, rigorous training, and communication — both with stakeholders who partner with the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management (DPSEM), and also with our campus. Engaging our community around a shared commitment to ensuring a thriving campus where faculty, staff and students feel safe is a key aspect of this work.

1. Aligning cameras to a consistent standard, informed by community feedback

Throughout the spring semester, we engaged with individuals across campus on a range of vital safety topics, ranging from building access to event safety. We have deeply valued these discussions, including our consultations with the Brown University Community Council (BUCC) and direct dialogue with faculty, staff and students. We also greatly benefited from the extensive feedback received through the biannual DPSEM community survey. 

When asked in the survey which measures most significantly contribute to a personal sense of safety and security, the highest-scoring measure among those who responded was enhanced security camera presence. The strategic enhancements we are making to our campus infrastructure this summer align with the feedback we received.

As President Paxson communicated in her May 7 update to the campus, we previously began work over the course of the spring semester to expand placement of cameras across a category of buildings that meet criteria for hosting sensitive research, housing critical infrastructure, and hosting large numbers of members of the public. These spaces historically had varying levels of camera coverage based on their past use.

The installation of security cameras at all points of ingress and egress for residential spaces continues the effort to bring buildings with similar uses to the same standard, adding another tool to Brown’s law enforcement and crime prevention efforts. Like campuses nationwide, our community occasionally faces challenges within residence halls regarding unauthorized building entry, propped doors and tailgating. While cameras cannot prevent every incident, they can serve as a powerful visual deterrent and provide crucial support for rapid investigative follow-up.

Safety is a collective effort, and while we all play an active role in keeping campus living spaces secure, these tools are being put in place as a baseline layer of security for our residential students.

2. Standards for privacy, information sharing, and ongoing community collaboration

We recognize that the expansion of safety technology naturally brings forward critical and valid questions regarding personal privacy. We had valuable conversations about these issues when collecting community feedback during the spring semester, we understand these concerns, and we are committed to addressing them directly. While DPSEM has long operated under an internal policy establishing department practices regarding closed-circuit television (CCTV) protocols, we believe a growing campus network requires more public-facing clarity.

We are currently finalizing a comprehensive, public-facing Campus Camera Policy for the University. The policy is responsive to concerns and questions that were raised as we engaged with students, faculty and staff in recent months and will be shared with the community when complete. It will explicitly outline:

• Authorized use: Specifying exactly how and when cameras are permitted to be used, focusing strictly on safety, deterrence and investigative support.
• Access control: Restricting access to view video footage to personnel or entities whom the University authorizes, aligned with the authorized uses above.
• Retention protocols: Setting clear, definitive limits on how long footage is stored by Brown before being permanently deleted when not in use for investigative or other authorized legal purposes.
• Governance and oversight: Identifying the senior governance body for the policy, as well as an advisory group composed of staff, faculty, students and other representative bodies to provide advice and input.

Crucially, the policy is neither expected nor intended to be a static document once it is finalized. As campus needs evolve over time, it will be critical that we continue to adapt and improve it. We are committed to continually engaging the campus community on any future adaptations, ensuring that Brown’s policies remain closely aligned with both our safety goals and our core institutional values.

Building on a decade of proactive investment in security

The ongoing enhancement of technology security tools and other safety measures represents the continuation of a long-term, deliberate strategy to invest in the well-being and resilience of our campus. Over the past decade, we have invested more than $65 million in security-enhancing infrastructure and technology projects, on top of increasing our annual safety operating budget by 67%. These steady, proactive investments have allowed us to update tools across our entire campus ecosystem, including: 

• Access control and campus lighting: Over the past several years, we have greatly expanded card access systems and modernized our electronic card technology. This includes recently adding card access to a small number of academic and administrative buildings that did not previously have it. We have upgraded campus lighting, focusing on enhancing pedestrian pathways, and continue to review all lighting annually for additional security upgrades.
• Security camera technology: Our campus camera network has grown by more than 200% since 2012, from approximately 400 in that year to 1,200 in early December 2025, and with further installations after the shooting on December 13, stands at 1,340 today.
• Emergency communication systems: We have modernized our emergency blue light phone systems across campus to feature integrated camera capabilities, and we have deployed advanced communication software for our campus dispatch center that allows the dispatchers to communicate directly with the Providence Police Department more effectively.
• Mobile tools: We have supported tools like the Rave Guardian app, which provides a mobile GPS-enabled panic button and allows users to report suspicious activity directly to DPSEM with or without attribution.

There is more to come. Support for expanded use of cameras was just one of the invaluable insights provided by the results of the DPSEM community survey in the spring, and we look forward to sharing the broader survey results with the campus later this summer. Our leadership teams will continue reviewing the detailed feedback we received to help guide our upcoming initiatives.

We are grateful for the ongoing partnership from you, the members of our community. Our work is shaped by your feedback and your shared commitment to keeping our campus a safe place to learn, live and work.

Sincerely,

Sarah Latham
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

Hugh T. Clements Jr.
Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police