OREM, Utah — Two months after the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Utah Valley University says it wants more police. The school's desire for more officers comes as the Utah legislature is asking the state’s universities to cut their budgets.
“Campus police are what are often referred to as cops-plus, because they do all the things that municipal police do, and then there's a host of other things that they're involved with," said Michael Rein, who served as a deputy police chief at Rutgers University.
Rein now works as a campus security consultant for the security firm COSCURE Enterprise Risk Solutions.
"The Bureau of Justice Statistics did some research back in 2021 that was only recently made available. But in their research, they found that for public institutions, they average about 2.2 officers per 1,000 students,” Rein said.
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By that ratio, Utah Valley University would have about 100 officers to protect its 46,000 students and all the faculty and staff that serve them. Instead, records show UVU had 23 police officers in 2024.
School officials did not respond to FOX 13 News questions, but our content-sharing partners at the Salt Lake Tribune report that UVU is seeking eight more officers.
"That would be a low number,” warned Rein.
However, Rein added that policing numbers aren’t one-size-fits-all, and UVU could try to augment its police force with security personnel.
“While there may be national standards and ratios, it’s important to remember that every campus is a little bit different,” said State Rep. Karen Peterson (R-Clinton).
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Peterson sits on the legislature's Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee and says she’s been told that UVU intends to move money around to hire the new officers. A new state task force is also looking at how to improve school security across Utah.
“Because ultimately, we all have the same goal that we want our students safe on campus,” Peterson said.
Students on Wednesday expressed mixed feelings about more police.
“More police is probably good because it kind of helps students feel safer, I guess, but at the same time, more police here kind of makes it feel more like a prison than a campus,” said freshman Jacob Birrell, who is studying criminal justice.
“I mean, I completely understand why they’re doing it, especially with the event that happened there September 10, but I think it also invokes fear,” added junior Daneshka Perry, a behavioral science major.
Birrell was on his way to the Kirk rally when he received word of the shooting, while Perry was at the event.
“It was something that really changed me as a person, I think,” she said. “I was able to get like a lot of, like our counselors and therapy sessions, which was amazing.”
Utah Valley University has previously said there will be a review of what happened in Orem on the day Kirk was shot and killed, but has not released who is conducting the review or when the public can read it.
