Services

Investigations 

All criminal offenses and suspicious incidents occurring on the College of Charleston campus are sent to our Investigation Unit. Investigators within this unit identify, collect and preserve physical evidence, prepare warrants, work in concert with other law enforcement agencies, prepare for and attend grand jury presentations, apprehend/arrest perpetrators and maintain ongoing case files until disposition has occurred. A senior investigator serves as Unit Supervisor.

For more information email Captain Reese or call 843.953.2468

Records

The Campus Police Records Unit serves as archivist for all incident reports filed within the jurisdiction of Campus Police. A request for an incident/accident report should be made to the Records Clerk located at Campus Police Headquarters. Request may be submitted from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Processing of reports once a request has been submitted takes approximately three business days.

A daily log which is a listing of all crimes reported to Campus Police is available for public viewing. Update of the log is completed within two business days of the filing of an initial report except:

• where disclosure of such information is prohibited by law
• such disclosure would jeopardize the confidentiality of the victim
• release of such information would jeopardize any component of an ongoing criminal investigation

For more information email Karen Murphy.

Parking Enforcement

In order to provide adequate parking for those who have paid for an assignment, it is necessary to enforce parking and traffic policies set forth in the College of Charleston Parking Guide which is available at our Auxiliary Services office or can be found on our College of Charleston web page College of Charleston parking and traffic regulations are issued supplemental to all applicable state laws and city ordinances. Authority to regulate parking is granted under South Carolina Revised Statute 56-21-10.
(The Department of Public Safety is not responsible for parking, but public safety officers do have the authority to enforce parking and traffic policies.) For questions regarding parking rules, regulations and availability contact the Parking Services Office 843.953.7834.

Training

Thirty-eight professionally trained men and women are assigned to provide police services at the College of Charleston. Campus Police officers are required to successfully complete a 12 week training program at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. The training program courses include: criminal investigation, sex crimes, drug enforcement and juvenile justice. Upon graduation, the officer is a certified police officer with full power of arrest.

In-service training in law enforcement and related subjects is continuous throughout the career of the officer. Our Campus Police Training Unit is responsible for maintaining state mandated and departmental in-service training for sworn officers and support personnel. The Training Unit, staffed with South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy trained instructors, conducts extensive training in such areas as firearms, bike patrol, legals, defensive tactics, victims' rights, sensitivity in working with victims and emergency response policies and procedures.

Campus EMS

Fire and Emergency Medical Services

Administrative Services

Campus Police (Administrative Services), located at 81B St. Philip Street, is responsible for the following services: bicycle registration, request for building access and duplicate key check out/in. For more information email Ellen Cole or call 843.953.4980.

Bicycle Registration

Read about the new bicycle policy effective March 25, 2012.  

The old policy - no longer enforced is below:

As mandated by City of Charleston Ordinance 19-101, all bicycles must be registered through the City of Charleston Police Department, Records Desk, at 180 Lockwood Boulevard. The fee for registration is $1.00.

As a convenience to our campus community, registration of bicycles is available at our Campus Police Headquarters. The information necessary to register a bicycle - make, model and serial number, - will be kept on file. A lost or stolen bicycle should be reported immediately. The recovery/return of a lost or stolen bicycle is more likely if the bicycle has been registered.

Bicycles that are secured improperly or left unsecured will be confiscated and taken to Public Safety Headquarters. Please take the time to register your bicycle. A bit of prevention may save you a lot of headache.

Request for Building Access

As a state institution, the general public has access to most of our facilities during the hours that buildings are open (6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; Saturday and Sunday by special request). All requests for building access after hours or on weekends must be registered with Campus Police. On some occasions, Public Safety officers can be utilized to unlock doors for on-campus functions and events.  If you would like to make such a request, please send an email from your College of Charleston email account to the following address: dooropeningrequests@cofc.edu  Please note that, in addition to start times, email requests should also include an event ending time so that officers can secure the building/room again.

Duplicate Key Check Out/In

Locked yourself out of your dorm room? You may check out a loaner key for twelve (12) hours from Campus Police Headquarters by presenting your valid College of Charleston ID. If you fail to return the key, a charge will assessed through Residence Life.

Lost and Found

If you lose property or find property on the College of Charleston campus, contact the Lost and Found Office at Campus Police Headquarters. Property that has been turned in to the Lost and Found Office is inspected and inventoried. Immediate action is taken to return property to its owner. Property of value without proper identification is held for ninety days.

Reporting Agency or Officer Misconduct

In the event you observe or feel you are a victim of an alleged violation which you feel has resulted in DPS or Officer misconduct, you may use this pdf form for reporting. Simply print, fill out and submit to a supervisory officer of the Department of Public Safety. All complaints, even anonymous, are investigated.

2010 Internal Affairs and Misconduct Complaints

2011 Internal Affairs and Misconduct Complaints