The University of Utah has released an updated statement and FAQ addressing concerns raised by the parents of Lauren McCluskey regarding campus safety. The university is working to implement 30 recommendations from an independent review that identified deficiencies in university systems and processes.
An independent review commissioned by the university president in October 2018 was conducted by three outside experts, including former public safety commissioners in Utah and a former university chief of police. The resulting report, received in late December, included recommendations for improving policing, security, and campus communications.
In response to the findings, the University of Utah Department of Public Safety has implemented several directives. These include mandatory offender information checks for significant criminal cases, protocols for adding security personnel information to police records, and increased training for officers in areas such as active shooter response, interpersonal violence, and crisis intervention. The university has also opened a new Emergency Coordination Center in the S.J. Quinney College of Law Building.
The university acknowledged that the Department of Public Safety initially viewed the McCluskey case as an extortion case rather than a case of potential interpersonal violence, which resulted in an insufficient sense of urgency. To address such issues, the university is implementing changes to ensure detectives work closely with victim advocates.
Regarding campus housing, the university identified deficiencies in enforcing policies for non-university affiliated overnight guests. In response, the Housing and Residential Education program has streamlined its reporting protocol, creating a single point of contact to interface with the university’s Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT).
The university is continuing to implement recommendations, including hiring additional staff such as detectives, a victim advocate, and a public information officer. These efforts are intended to provide a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
