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Campus Safety & Security

A safe campus is the foundation of everything else at Florida Southern. The Department of Safety and Security protects students, faculty, staff, and visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with sworn police officers, uniformed safety officers, and round-the-clock monitoring across the entire campus and our off-campus housing.

Need Help Now

In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

For emergencies, non-emergency assistance, or a safety escort, call Campus Safety at 863.680.4305 (ext. 4305 from a campus phone). Save this number in your phone. Officers are on campus 24/7 and can respond, dispatch help, or walk or drive with you anywhere on campus or to off-campus housing, day or night.

Call Campus Safety

Stay Connected in an Emergency

The Omnilert Safety App

Our campus safety app puts help one tap away. In an emergency, Omnilert can share your location with our team and connect you to Campus Safety or 911, and it offers a silent-alert option when you cannot speak. Your location is only accessed at the time you call for help.

To sign up:

  1. Download Omnilert from the App Store.
  2. Email Campus Safety at safety@flsouthern.edu to request your individual passcode.
  3. Enter the passcode Campus Safety sends you in the app.

You only need to sign up once.

Download Omnilert App

Automatic Text Alerts

Every student is automatically enrolled in our emergency text notification service, which sends time-sensitive information like emergency situations and weather cancellations. Parents can opt in to receive these alerts too.

Parent Text Alert Sign Up

Safety Services

Lost and Found

Found items are catalogued and held securely in the Safety Office. Unclaimed items are held for 90 days. Call 863.680.4305 or stop by.

Safety Escort Service

Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., use the Moc Movers to get around campus. After business hours, on weekends, and especially after dark, call Campus Safety at 863.680.4305 (ext. 4305 from a campus phone) for an escort around campus and to off-campus housing.

The Safety Office

Open 24 hours a day on the corner of Ingraham Avenue and Duke Place (the Maida and Billy Pou Safety Center). Administrative services, ID cards, parking permits, parking tickets, and lost and found, are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Getting Around Campus

Campus Safety also runs Florida Southern's transportation services, free shuttles around campus and to off-campus housing, Moc-Movers, weekend and downtown shuttles, airport transportation during breaks, and campus parking.

How We Keep Campus Safe

Florida Southern is protected around the clock by sworn police officers and a full campus safety team working together. The Department of Campus Safety and Security is led by a director and staffed by more than 55 full- and part-time officers, dispatchers, transportation operators, safety specialists, and administrative personnel, with student team members hired during the academic year.

Sworn Police on Campus

Eight full-time sworn officers from the Lakeland Police Department serve as Florida Southern's college resource officers, with an officer on campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These officers are contracted and dedicated to FSC, so they can't be reassigned to calls elsewhere in the city. They're joined by two sworn LPD K-9s: Dean, trained in narcotics detection and explosives detection. Both serve as a deterrent and a familiar presence around campus. Additional officers are contracted for large after-hours events.

Patrols Around the Clock

Our safety and security officers patrol campus by vehicle, on foot, and by utility cart, 24 hours a day. They are usually your first point of contact, and every officer clears a criminal and driving background check before hire.

Live Monitoring and Alarms

Our dispatch center monitors live-feed cameras across campus and the apartments, along with alarm systems, so help can be directed quickly when it's needed.

Explore Safety and Security

Get in Touch

Our dedicated team is here around the clock to help keep our community safe.

In an emergency, call 911.

Call Campus Safety
Campus Safety

Campus Safety

Eric Rauch

Eric Rauch

Director of Safety and Security

Rusty Longaberger

Rusty Longaberger

Assistant Director