The Department of Public Safety & Police exists as a support unit of the college for the purpose of establishing and maintaining an atmosphere in which people can go safely about their varied activities in furtherance of the college’s higher objectives.  This department must accomplish its mission through excellence in policing, safety, security and traffic management.

Davidson College Campus Police Officers derive their police powers from the State under the provision of North Carolina General Statute 74-E.  The Attorney General of North Carolina upon certification of several rigorous standards grants police commissions under this statute.  The commission provides the individual officer with all the powers of municipal and county police officers of North Carolina, including the power to make arrests for felonies and misdemeanors within their jurisdiction.

The Davidson College Department of Public Safety & Police is the primary response agency for all crimes and incidents on campus, providing emergency assistance, investigating and documenting incidents, and is the liaison with local police, fire and medical response agencies.  The Department is located in the Tomlinson building and provides public safety services 24 hours-a-day, 7 days a week.  Campus Police Officers may be reached at any time by dialing extension 2178 from any on-campus phone, or the duty phone at (704) 609-0344.  You may also visit the Public Safety & Police Office in the basement of the Tomlinson building to report a crime or incident or to request assistance. 

Working with other college departments, the Davidson College Department of Public Safety & Police encourages all victims of crime to immediately report such incidents to Public Safety.  This provides immediate and professional assistance to victims, and also provides the Public Safety & Police Department and the College with an accurate statistical count of crimes.

In addition to reporting incidents and crimes to the Davidson College Department of Public Safety & Police, victims are also urged to report crimes to local police department when incidents occur off campus.  The Davidson College Department of Public Safety & Police reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs.  Public Safety Officers are trained in CPR, Basic First Aid, fire safety procedures, and receive a variety of in-service training in topics pertinent to the law enforcement profession and the college campus environment.