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Expect increased police presence during emergency preparedness exercises in July, August

Vanderbilt University Public Safety personnel will conduct a series of preparedness and readiness exercises from July 24 through Aug. 7 at the VUPS training facility at 115 28th Ave S. An increased police presence is expected in the area during this time.

As a part of the campus-wide security review announced in June, VUPS is evaluating its internal policies and procedures, as well as techniques and equipment to enhance the university’s response to an active assailant threat.

“We are fully committed to maintaining a safe environment conducive to rigorous academic inquiry, world-leading health care and being a leading employer. These functional exercises underscore our commitment to the well-being of the community,” VUPS Deputy Chief Tommye Sutton said.

“During the exercises, we will assess under manufactured stress the efficiency of our emergency communications center, public safety response and service delivery, the decision making of police leadership, and Emergency Operations activation to ensure that we perform to full capacity.”

To train and assess response capabilities, VUPS has designed drills to evaluate operational capabilities in a simulated, realistic environment with hypothetical scenarios. All critical functions of VUPS will be engaged.

VUPS daily operations and services will not be affected during these exercises.