A message regarding public safety actions for downtown Towson

February 23, 2023

Dear TU students, faculty and staff —

As we wrote on Wednesday, Towson University is actively working with campus and community partners to address the concerns of our university community following a series of off campus public safety incidents. On Wednesday night, we met with Baltimore County government, police, business and community leaders to address these issues.

Today, following the positive, collaborative discussions, we are updating you on some action items that the leaders have identified as immediate and short-term priorities to address safety in downtown Towson. The county is committing to the following:

• Additional public safety patrols — both on foot & by bike — in the immediate downtown business district
• Additional resources to support private security service for the downtown business district
• Additional security cameras for areas not already covered by a network of public and privately owned cameras
• Additional license plate reader technology deployed by Baltimore County Police in the downtown area
• Additional and enhanced lighting of downtown areas, prioritizing high traffic or unlit public spaces
• Additional collaborative and productive meetings like the one held Wednesday evening

We thank Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski, Baltimore County Police and the Towson Chamber of Commerce, as well as all of the community partners, who share in our concerns and the urgent desire to prioritize these matters.

In addition, TU commits to continue its own priorities around off-campus public safety. This includes:

• Continuing collaboration between the Baltimore County Police Department and TU's Office of Public Safety for crime prevention and education, proactive high visibility patrols on and around campus, and criminal investigations to hold those responsible for bad acts accountable.
• Continuing to collaborate with security officers at the off-campus housing facilities in downtown Towson
• Continuing to fund, via a grant, additional county police officers in the downtown area
• Continuing crime prevention training and programs
• Continuing to share information regarding public transportation and shuttles offered by TU’s Parking & Transportation Services
• Continuing communication to the campus community around these priorities

TU’s campus is protected by an Office of Public Safety that is home to more than 40 fully-sworn police officers. TU’s officers follow community policing practices, and encourage those on campus to say something if they see something. All Tigers are encouraged to get to know TU’s public safety resources and procedures in order to help continue the university’s safe campus community.

Since last January, TU has invested approximately $375,000 via a grant to fund additional county police officers to patrol the downtown precinct in the overnight hours seven days a week. That is in addition to a $50,000 annual neighborhood grant that TU has funded for more than seven years to support community safety in the surrounding neighborhoods.

As a reminder, for immediate concerns around public safety, please contact TU’s Office of Public Safety at 410-704-4444.

By working together, taking additional action and increasing our vigilance we will ensure a safe campus and community.  

Thank you for supporting one another. 

Sincerely,

Vernon Hurte, Ph.D.
Vice President, Student Affairs

Charles "Joe" Herring
Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police