In a time of increasing public health threats, such as pandemics like COVID-19 or localized biohazards, university and college campuses represent a unique microcosm of vulnerabilities. Given their dense and diverse population of faculty, students, and the broader community, developing and implementing tailored emergency preparedness measures is essential to safeguard academic continuity and the collective welfare of the community. This paper focuses on the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s (UMBC) Campus Police Department, selected for its critical role in coordinating the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which incorporates public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) and various response plans. Driven by the lack of public awareness among the campus community, our research interrogates the department's practices, policies, and the effectiveness of the existing plans and procedures. Employing a qualitative methodology, we conducted interviews with key stakeholders, including UMBC Emergency Manager John Schiable and Farah Nibbs, PhD, a professor, faculty member, and researcher in the UMBC Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, to obtain operational insights. In addition, these interviews were augmented by analyzing the different campus plans, procedures, strategies, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) frameworks. Ultimately, these insights emphasize the need for the UMBC Police to strengthen its PHEP efforts. We propose four recommendations that can be integrated into existing plans, which can further create a more equitable and adaptive campus response framework.
Hwang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.