Shooting at Brown prompts desire for increased campus security

The recent shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine injured has led to increased campus security due to concerns among community members. Since the start of winter quarter, Stanford has engaged private security officers in addition to the Stanford Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) officers on campus, according to University spokesperson Luisa Rapport.

As information becomes available, SUDPS will “review relevant reports” to learn potential safety lessons in light of the Brown University shooting, Rapport wrote in an email to The Daily. 

Sofia Zaiceva ’29, who is from Providence, Rhode Island, had just landed in the Boston Logan Airport when she heard that a gunman had opened fire in a Brown University lecture hall that hour. She was on her way to visit a close friend at Brown.

It took police and law enforcement five days to catch the gunman, Claudio Neves Valente, who also killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in his home in Boston two days after the Brown shooting. Neves Valente was found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility on Dec. 13. The delayed response resulted in a general feeling of unsafety in Rhode Island, Zaiceva claimed.

“The biggest let down was the security, as well as Providence police and the FBI,” Zaiceva said. 

She added that as a small university, Brown has always felt protected, so the news of the shooting came as a shock. The first time she had seen “any real security” at the school was in the wake of the shooting. 

She drew parallels between Brown and Stanford’s campuses, as they are both open and generally feel safe. 

Saanvi Thummalapally ’27 also said she feels that security at Stanford is not up to par.

“I think that [the security cameras] aren’t good enough, as there is still clearly lots of theft on campus,” Thummalapally said. “Many people have gotten their bikes stolen, and I feel like if more cameras were placed near bike rack areas then this could help mitigate it.”

Zaiceva said there must be a balance of security measures at universities, as too much could feel “oppressive” and like a “demonstration of power.” But she also said that, as of now, she wouldn’t feel safe at Stanford if an emergency were to occur like at Brown. She said there should be more regulation of people who don’t attend the University who come to campus. 

The University has been planning a security camera projects, an initiative that began in 2022, in accordance with its video safety and security systems standards, according to Rapport. These standards guide overall camera management and decisions as to where cameras and signage are installed.

According to the 2025 Safety, Security and Fire Report, 290 security cameras were added to the Stanford campus in 2024. It also reported that up to three new 911 Emergency Telephone Towers are approved to be installed near student residences and academic buildings in the next two years. There are currently 270 towers on campus, which alerts emergency responders when activated. 

License plate readers were added in 2024 at campus entrances in an effort to provide real-time alerts of prohibited vehicles entering campus space.

Members of the campus community can enroll in a Community Public Safety Academy to learn more about safety on campus. 

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