The Grand Valley Department of Public Safety is inviting students, faculty and staff to tour its new security operations center during an open house on the Valley Campus. The event will take place on November 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the GVPD office of the Service Building.
Attendees will queue in the GVPD lobby and be taken in groups into the security operations center at the top of each hour during the open house: 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
“GVPD is committed to consistently advancing and enhancing our safety efforts across Grand Valley's campuses. The new security operations center provides our department with leading technologies and tools that strengthen our ability to patrol, investigate and respond to events on campus,” said Daniel Lindstrom, GVSU's Director of Public Safety
The open house is offered to GVSU community members to learn more about safety efforts on campus and engage with the public safety team.
Greg Sanial, GVSU's Vice President for Finance and Administration,said the new security operations center is a welcome addition to GVSU's public safety efforts.
“Safety is our top priority at Grand Valley,” Sanial said. “This new center gives our public safety team an impactful tool to use for investigation and incident response."
The Service Building is located at 11106 Service Drive on the Valley Campus. There is limited short-term parking in front of the GVPD Office available to GVSU community members attending the open house.
Facts about the Security Operations Center
Call Volume: The security operations center has received approximately 3,000 calls per month so far during the Fall semester. GVPD has dispatchers on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to field these calls and dispatch officers as necessary.
Security Cameras: The security operations center has access to approximately 1,800 security cameras across the university's various campuses. These cameras have been used for various purposes, including identifying persons of interest and locating stolen property.
Emergency Campus Lockdown: Should the need arise, the security operations center can initiate an immediate emergency lockdown of the Valley, City and Health campuses with the push of a button.
Real-Time Police Monitoring: Personnel can review active police calls and emergency activity in both Grand Rapids and Ottawa County, helping provide additional awareness of incidents that may affect university operations or the campus community.
Laker Guardian App: Through the Laker Guardian mobile app, students can request a virtual safe walk or communicate directly with a security operations center team member through an active chat feature.
After-Hours Response: During evenings, overnight hours and weekends, the security operations team receives and dispatches housing and facilities-related calls to the appropriate university personnel for response.
Centralized Alarm Monitoring: Alarm systems across the Valley and City campuses are monitored through the SOC, allowing personnel to receive, assess and coordinate appropriate responses to alarm activations.
