Services and Outreach

Campus Safety Ambassadors (CSAs) provide an opportunity for student employees to contribute to the safety, security, and well-being of the Iowa State University community. CSA students ensure the safety of community members, facilitate the security of academic buildings, enhance the quality of the Iowa State experience, and provide student employees with positive law enforcement role models.

Responsibilities

• Report suspicious activity and individuals to ISU Police
• Lock and unlock campus buildings
• Address maintenance problems on campus
• Mitigate fire hazards
• Provide security for special events
• Smoking enforcement
• Assist police officers
• Assist campus community
  • Office lockouts
  • Jump starting and unlocking vehicles
  • SafeRide ISU
  • Fingerprinting

CSA openings are posted on the student job board.

The Engagement and Inclusion Officer team is committed to creating a campus community that allows everyone to participate fully in the university’s mission. The team works to ensure equitable access to safety services delivered with human dignity and respect.

The team partners with students, faculty, staff and the Ames community to foster a welcoming campus and to build and strengthen relationships. In 2020, the team was recognized with the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators’ Innovation in Community Policing Award.

The Public Safety Officer (PSO) program is a non-sworn, full-time safety program designed to serve Iowa State students, faculty, staff and visitors, and the medical staff and patients at the Mary Greeley Medical Center emergency department. As part of the ISU Department of Public Safety, the PSO program responds to calls for service that do not require law enforcement. Public Safety Officers are supervised by the Captain of Investigations, Outreach and Threat Management. The PSO uniform differs from police officers, with a medium blue shirt, a red and white patch featuring the ISU campus landscape, and charcoal gray pants. Their vehicles are striped with ISU colors and clearly identified as Public Safety.
 
PSOs are required to have two years of experience in security and safety, or a year of post-high school education related to security and safety and one year of field experience. Training includes de-escalation and defensive tactics, mental health advocacy, CPR/AED, bias incident recognition, and internal policy review. In addition, Public Safety Officers must complete Certified Protection Officer training through the International Foundation of Protection Officers.

The ISU Police staff includes two full-time Mental Health Advocates who provide assistance to students, staff, and faculty navigating mental health concerns. The advocates serve as liaisons with campus and community mental health resources, and provide community outreach, awareness, and education. Training and outreach sessions include Mental Health First Aid and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training.

The mental health program also includes certified therapy dogs that provide support and comfort to the ISU community. Units and individuals are invited to contact the team to schedule training or meet with the Mental Health Advocates and therapy dogs. 

Questions?

• Contact isupdmh@iastate.edu

The residence hall liaison program collaborates with the Department of Residence (DoR) to increase communication between students, residence staff, and ISU Police. Every campus residence hall has an ISU police officer assigned to it as a liaison officer. The liaison officer provides training on subjects such as alcohol awareness, sexual assault response, defensive tactics, and criminal law to the residents and staff in the buildings they are assigned to. 

Liaison officers frequently attend floor meetings to address questions and concerns, and regularly visit those buildings to develop positive relationships with residents and staff. The partnership and open communication supports a safe and friendly atmosphere for students and staff to learn, live, and work.

Questions?

• Contact isupdoutreach@iastate.edu

The ISU Police Chief's Student Advisory Board plays a crucial role in promoting collaboration, transparency, and accountability within the university community, fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students by serving as a vital bridge between the student body and the university's law enforcement and public safety agency. The board of dedicated student representatives acts as a liaison, fostering communication, understanding, and collaboration between students, campus police, and public safety officials.
 
The board typically includes a diverse group of students from various backgrounds, academic disciplines, and levels of involvement within the university community. They are passionate about campus safety and committed to promoting a positive relationship between students, law enforcement and public safety.
 
The primary purpose of the advisory board is to provide valuable input and feedback to police department and public safety leadership, helping to shape policies, procedures, and programs that directly impact student life on campus. Members actively engage in discussions, offer perspectives, and propose initiatives aimed at enhancing campus safety, improving community relations, and addressing concerns or issues raised by their peers.
 
The board also serves as a platform for educating students about law enforcement practices, campus safety and public safety protocols, and available resources. Through outreach efforts, events, and informational sessions, the board helps empower students with knowledge and tools to navigate campus life securely.

Interested in serving on the board?

• Contact mrnewton@iastate.edu

Mental Health First Aid

An eight-hour course that teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. Learn how to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use concern and help connect them to the appropriate care.

Topics include depression and mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, psychosis, and substance use.

Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention

A one-hour educational program designed to teach lay and professional “gatekeepers” the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond. Gatekeepers include anyone strategically positioned to recognize and refer someone at risk of suicide (e.g., parents, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, caseworkers, police officers). Trainees receive a QPR booklet and wallet card with local referral resources.

The process follows three steps:

• Question the individual’s desire or intent regarding suicide
• Persuade the person to seek and accept help
• Refer the person to appropriate resources.

Mental Health 101

A one-hour overview of the ISU Police mental health program, understanding and identifying signs and symptoms of mental illness, warning signs for suicide, and how to speak with someone who is in crisis.

Request a mental health training

• 515-294-4428
• isupdmh@iastate.edu

Recognizing and Reporting Disruptive Behavior (RRDB) training is sometimes referred to as a precursor to our Violent Incident Response Training (VIRT), in that the warning signs or “red flags” observed can help to mitigate the tragedies that have become all too common in this day and age. The presentation is delivered via a PowerPoint presentation and the length depends largely on audience interaction and participation. Many of the principles taught during VIRT are touched on with this presentation as well, but RRDB will deal more with creating awareness as well as ways to mitigate potential acts of violence from happening before the onset of the problem(s) become unmanageable. Proactive approaches are stressed over reactive ones. Just like in VIRT, information is the best weapon against violence. Information provides knowledge, which provides options for survival during a crisis. The only bad reaction is no reaction at all.

Schedule RRDB training

• 515-294-4428
• isupdoutreach@iastate.edu

ISU Police offer a free self-defense course to faculty, staff, and students.

• Learn about the course
• Schedule a course, isupdoutreach@iastate.edu

Your safety is important to Iowa State University and the ISU Police. We offer free training and education to help ensure your safety, including Violent Incident Response Training (VIRT). An options-based response empowers our community to use a flexible set of principles to adapt to any violent encounter: Avoid, Deny, Defend. Preparation is the key for any situation we face in life -- the more prepared we are, the better we perform.

Purpose of training

The goal is to begin mental preparation for recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats. Avoid, Deny, Defend is taught around the country to law enforcement, college campuses, K-12 schools, private businesses, and other social organizations.

We are trained to react to fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and other types of disasters. This program is no different. By studying previous violent incidents around the world, it has been found that certain techniques work and others don’t.

The training is not designed to scare you into thinking there is a violent situation lurking around every corner. Instead, it provides you with options for violent situations.

Schedule VIRT training

• 515-294-4428
• isupdoutreach@iastate.edu