In general, special events on the CSUN campus may involve one or more categories of police services staffing in order to provide the appropriate level of security/law enforcement coverage. The four types of staffing are:
- Police Officer Detail - This type of coverage involves the assignment of a sworn police officer to provide both law enforcement and security services. This is the most common type of special event detail on campus. Police detail rate as of April 1, 2015 is $76.00 per hour, per officer assigned.
- Parking Enforcement Officer Detail - For large events with special parking needs beyond that which is normally provided on the campus during the normal course of business, a parking enforcement officer(s) may be assigned to an event to coordinate parking and traffic control in a specified geographic area of the campus. This control function may involve one or more of several functions such as parking permit sales, traffic direction and control, and parking enforcement functions. All parking enforcement officers are uniformed personnel. Parking Officer Enforcement detail rate as of July 1, 2010 is $39.00 per hour, per parking officer assigned.
- Community Service Assistant (CSA) – The Department of Police Services employs student staff who constitute the “Matador Patrol”. These students wear a distinctive red and black uniform and primarily work at night providing personal safety escorts to the CSUN community. Student staff may be assigned to special events to assist University Police in limited monitoring capacities. The decision whether or not to utilize student CSAs will be assessed on a case by case basis and may only be authorized by the Chief of Police. Community Service Assistant detail rate as of January 1, 2016 is $15.00 per hour, per Community Service Assistant assigned. Community Service Assistant coverage requires a (7) seven day notice.
- Security Guards – Use of security guards on the California State University, Northridge campus require the approval of the CSUN Chief of Police. Please contact the Chief's Office for additional information (818) 677-2201.
While there are a variety of considerations utilized to determine the level of Police Services staffing for each event, the following list is comprised of the “normal” criteria considered by the Police supervisory staff on a case by case basis for the majority of special events on campus. If in the professional judgment of the Chief of Police or her designee, an event warrants more than the “usual” security coverage, event organizers will be advised as soon as a thorough assessment of the event can be made. This includes security assessments for physical security (barricades, metal detectors, etc.) or police, or other personnel. Each event will be evaluated and the minimum amount of police services personnel will be assigned to accomplish the security/law enforcement goal for the event. While the Department of Police Services works closely in event planning with all campus organizations to provide a reasonably safe environment for special events, the final decision on all event security measures and police services staffing levels is the responsibility of the Chief of Police.
Prior History - If an event is conducted with any level of repetition (annual, each semester, monthly, etc.) the Department of Police Services will examine past event history to ascertain if the event usually ran smoothly or had been prone to security problems. Problem events may warrant a higher level of security coverage.
Estimated Crowd Size – Each event will be assessed on the basis of past history for the estimated crowd size vs. actual crowd size. If repeat events are prone to low crowd estimates but history has shown a larger than estimated crowd actually attends the event, then security coverage will be estimated upward.
Impact on University and/or Surrounding Community – In order to control any adverse impact (crowd management issues, traffic considerations, etc.) as the result of a certain type of event, staffing and physical security measures may be increased.
Location of Event – Events which require controlled access and which have many potential entry points to the event venue normally require a higher level of staffing and physical security measures.
Advertising – Events which are advertised in the media beyond the CSUN community may require a higher degree of security consideration (staffing, physical security, etc.).
Higher Profile or VIP Speakers or Subject Matter - Celebrities, controversial speakers, and some politicians may require “dignitary protection” measures which normally go beyond normal event security measures. Similarly, events which have controversial or highly charged subject matter may warrant special security consideration.
Money Exchange - Events which involve the selling of tickets or merchandise normally require a police detail.
The Department of Police Services requires a 14-day notice period to police officers in order to process and assign details per contractual requirements.
Any requests for police services which are under the 14-day contractual requirement may be denied by Police Services, thus prohibiting the event from taking place if the event requires police details. Requests for parking officer detail coverage require 24 days notice per contractual requirement.
The Department of Police Services is committed to working in the planning stages with all event sponsors to ensure that authorized events take place on campus safely and with the minimum necessary expense whenever possible. Should you have any questions concerning the procedures, please feel free to contact Captain Fred Fernandez (818) 677-3961.
