Laken Riley's tragic murder on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus left our community in shock. This incident, coupled with an armed robbery that occurred earlier that same month, underscores the urgent need for LAYERED security measures on and off campus to mitigate risks. We are petitioning UGA President Morehead to take immediate and specific action and to do so by partnering with the Athens Clark County Government. 

• READ: The reactive responses of UGA: Summarized and Graded

• READ:  Our response to UGA’s announcement regarding $7.3 Million commitment to safety and security following the murder of Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus. Our petition remains for President Morehead’s action on important programs including a layered level of deterrence - that could have made a difference in the tragic death of Laken Riley. We would be remiss to not continue pushing for the critical and carefully researched initiatives that can and will make the campus community safe. The $7.3 Million committed and for initiatives specified is a positive stratum but UGA can do better.
•  What might have made a difference for Laken Riley?
• Learn about all our programs and ideas here.

We are asking UGA President, Jere Morehead to do the following:

1) Order a comprehensive safety/security assessment of the UGA campus community. 

2) Implement Safety and Outreach Ambassadors ($1.5 million proposal given to UGA in Jan 2023) includes safety ambassadors on bikes, escorting options at night between buildings, increased security presence, tracking, and tech integration capabilities, outreach to homeless persons, extra "eyes and ears," capture crime trends, clean and safe paths, hospitality to visitors

3) Bring us the Safe Zone (University of Southern California Model) that includes high-tech security infrastructure - BLUE LIGHT emergency call boxes, a more robust Safe Ride program, more lighting; cameras with AI for intervention, not just investigation with integration into ACCPD's real-time crime center; more Flock; separate prosecutor with stiffer penalties for crimes; expanded campus law enforcement jurisdiction or at least within UGA PD's current 500 yards surrounding UGA properties. 

4) Implement a University Strategic Safety Advisory Committee (SSAC) with diverse stakeholders, including students, parents, and community members. The Committee's mission is to improve safety and overall quality of life on campus and in other Athens communities.

5) Multi-Housing Crime Accreditation. UGA cannot house or safely provide parking for ALL its students on campus. Thus, the existing UGA safety and security umbrella must be expanded. UGA must do more on and off campus. This program brings important CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) to housing complexes. 

We urge President Morehead to collaborate with ACCGov as necessary to ensure comprehensive safety measures are implemented.

UGA invested $8.5 million in 2021 in safety and security measures. However, security continues to evolve, and more needs to be done to deter, interrupt, stop, and prevent crime. Ask yourself, "What would have helped Laken?"

The urgency cannot be overstated – our students' lives and the broader community depend on it. Please join us in urging President Morehead, in collaboration with ACCGov, to prioritize safety by implementing these enhanced multi-layered security measures immediately. 

Help SafeD Athens by signing and sharing this petition today!
Your voice matters!

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