Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security contributes $2.2 million in new communications equipment to TBR colleges’ campus police
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) contributed $2.2 million in new state-of-the-art police radios and related equipment to Tennessee Board of Regents colleges’ campus police departments – a major improvement for the safety and security of our students and campus communities.
The new radios – one for each of the more than 200 campus police officers across TBR community and technical colleges – are part of a new partnership between TDOSHS and TBR - the College System of Tennessee to improve campus safety and security.
The new partnership and communications equipment enable the campus police departments to integrate into the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN), operated by TDOSHS in collaboration with law enforcement agencies statewide. Not only will internal campus police communications improve, integration into TACN also means campus officers can communicate instantly with local and state law enforcement and other campus police departments as needed.
“This partnership enables TBR officers to communicate with other local and state agencies across multi-jurisdictions in the event of an emergency, thanks to the collaboration of two state agencies that pooled their resources to ensure interoperability on TACN, the statewide communications system,” said TDOSHS Deputy Commissioner Les Dolente.
In their role in the partnership, the colleges will enable placement of TACN towers on campus property where needed to improve efficiency and fill gaps in the network.
“Most importantly, the partnership improves the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and visitors in our campus communities,” said TBR Chancellor Flora W. Tydings. “The new radios are equipping every one of our police officers, enabling them to quickly receive and transmit vital safety information. We’re grateful to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Commissioner Jeff Long, Deputy Commissioner Les Dolente, and TACN Director Jeff Gray.”
The partnership is the latest of several collaborations between the TBR system and state agencies, including a separate one with TDOSHS that placed two TBR-owned tractor-trailers at the department’s Driver Services Center in Columbia for use in training commercial driver license testing personnel and participants in the department’s certified third-party examiner program. When not in use by the TDOSHS, the tractor-trailers – modified for training purposes – are used to train students in the truck driving training program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Shelbyville.
TBR is also grateful to the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for a recent $65,000 grant to improve pedestrian safety on our campuses.
The College System of Tennessee is the state’s largest public higher education system, with 13 community colleges, 24 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus serving approximately 140,000 students. The system is governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents.