Public Safety and Preparedness

CSM is dedicated to the safety and welfare of all persons at all campuses. The college’s safety and security program has the following goals:

  • To protect people and property
  • To assist in the enforcement of state, local, and college regulations within the parameters of federal, state, and local laws and ordinances
  • To build and maintain a high level of cooperation between the college community and external law enforcement and other governmental agencies
  • To provide regulatory, support, and miscellaneous services to improve and enhance the attainment of general college goals
  • To disseminate practical and useful information relating to matters of safety and welfare

Among the Public Safety and Preparedness Department’s duties are crime prevention, incident reporting, preventive patrols, crisis intervention, emergency planning, security surveys, limited alarm system administration, fire prevention, and safety inspections.

The Public Safety and Preparedness Department also provides access to alarmed buildings, unlocking/ locking doors, campus escorts, initial response to crisis situations, and coordination of local emergency responses.

All CSM public safety personnel are empowered under Article 26 (Education), Maryland Code of Regulations, to enforce school security provisions. Security personnel have received in-house training. The public safety personnel are an unarmed guard force and are not authorized to arrest individuals. The public safety personnel work in cooperation with local law enforcement officials. When a breach of the peace occurs on campus, the public safety officer will summon the appropriate local, state, or federal agency for enforcement and/or investigation.
CSM’s uniformed public safety officers are equipped with two-way radios with telephone patches in order to be reached at anytime.

Service Hours

The La Plata Campus offers 24-hour security coverage.

The Leonardtown and Prince Frederick campuses have part-time public safety offices with the following hours of operation:

Prince Frederick Campus
Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Leonardtown Campus
Monday-Friday, 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m.;
Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Waldorf Center for Higher Education
Monday-Friday, 6-10 p.m.
CSM’s Public Safety and Preparedness Department staff cannot keep our campuses safe without your assistance; it is the responsibility of everyone who comes to CSM to work, learn, or socialize to be aware of their surroundings and to report any unusual threats, sightings, or events.

Annual Campus Security Report

The Annual Campus Security Report contains college policies regarding facility safety and access, law enforcement, the reporting of criminal activity and emergencies, security awareness and crime prevention programs. Information is compiled from the contents of the CSM daily crime log, incident, and accident/injury reports, and through consultation with the various county sheriffs’ offices, and the dean of Student Equity and Success. The report also contains crime statistics for the college and other useful information regarding security.

Students and Employees will receive notification, in the mail, by October 1 indicating where this report is located online. The information is also available to any applicant for enrollment or employment. The report can be accessed on the Internet at Ready.csmd.edu.

Reporting a Crime, Incident, or Emergency

All unusual incidents, crimes and other emergencies should be reported to public safety personnel immediately. However, if it is more appropriate to call the county police or rescue squad directly, contact off-campus assistance by dialing “911” from any campus phone.

The Public Safety and Preparedness Department must be called in the event of an accident or incident which interrupts normal activities of the college. The responding public safety officer will gather all pertinent information and file the appropriate report.

CSM permits victims or witnesses to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics. However, to the extent that the college knows the identity of persons reporting such crimes, the college may be legally required in some circumstances to disclose that information.

If you are a victim or witness of a crime while on campus, report to the Public Safety and Preparedness Department as soon as possible. obtain as much information as you can about the perpetrator(s) without endangering yourself.

Try to notice such things as:

  • Height, Weight, Build, Race, and Age
  • Color and Length of Hair, Beard and Mustache or other Facial Hair
  • Notable Characteristics (Acne, Scars, Tattoos, Glasses, Mental State)
  • Color of Eyes, Clothing
  • Type of Vehicle, License Plate Number, and Direction of Flight

Do not handle or disturb physical objects used or handled by the assailant or anything else at the crime scene.

When reporting an emergency, please state the following information:

  • Your Name
  • Location
  • Telephone Number Where You Can Be Reached
  • Location of Emergency
  • Nature of Emergency
  • Additional Information as Requested

If the CSM Public Safety and Preparedness Department, or appropriate administrative office, is notified that a reportable crime has occurred which presents a continued threat to the campus community, notices and/or instructions will be communicated to students, employees, and the campus community in an effort to prevent similar crimes. Warnings may be distributed in several different ways including posting on the CSM Intranet, CSM web site, by email, orally, through signage, The Friday Report, CSM.TXT, CSM Ready, or other appropriate means. The exact means of timely warnings may vary due to the situation.

After contacting “911,” you should still inform campus public safety of the emergency. Emergencies can be reported from any campus phone.

  • Administration (AD) Building – First and Second Floors by Elevator
  • Center for Business and Industry (BI Building) – Lower Level, First, and Second Floor by Elevator; West Entrance Near Lobby; and outside
  • Loading Dock
  • Business (BU) Building – Main Hallway
  • Campus Center (CC Building) – First and Second Floors by Elevator
  • Campus Services (CS) Building – Main Hallway
  • Community Education (CE) Building – Main Hallway
  • Fine Arts Center (FA Building) – West Entrance Lobby; Room 127, and Near Room 149
  • James C. Mitchell Center for Health Technology (HT Building) – North and South Hallways; Kitchen/Lounge Area
  • Learning Resource Center (LR Building) – outside South Entrance; Room 127/Kitchen/ Lounge; near Room 102; Second Floor Lobby near Room 200
  • Maintenance (MT) Building – outside by Front Door
  • Physical Education Center (PE Building) – Pool Area and by Gymnasium Entrance
  • Francis P. Chiaramonte, M.D. Center for Science and Technology (ST Building) – North and South Wing

  • Building A – First, Second, and Third Floors; and outside By Parking Lot Handicap Ramp
  • Building B – First, Second, and Third Floors; Parking Lot; and outside Sidewalk By Parking Lot Between Building B and Building C Handicap Ramp
  • Building C– First, Second, Third Floors; and Parking Lot
  • Building D – Parking Lot

  • John E. Harms Academic Center (Building A) - First Floor by Elevator, Second Floor by Elevator, Room 209, or Room 235, West Breezeway, and Parking Lots
  • Building B - First and Second Floors by Elevators or Stairwells and Parking Lots

DSS Campus Emergency Response Registration

CSM is strongly committed to developing and implementing procedures to assist individuals with disabilities during an emergency. Individuals who may need assistance in the event of an emergency may choose to register with campus facilities. By registering, individuals may enable a more efficient response in the future.
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