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UGA committed to campus safety as community mourns tragic loss

Sunday, February 25, 2024
UGA Today

As the news of the UGA Police Department arresting a suspect for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley brought some closure to a campus reeling from senseless violence, the University of Georgia community continues the collective grieving process and mourns a life lost. Speaking to students at UGA Miracle’s Dance Marathon on Saturday, UGA president Jere W. Morehead commended the UGA Police Department and all other police agencies for their round-the-clock efforts to bring the suspect into custody and bring some sense of closure to the campus community. “The safety and security of this campus is always center in my mind and center in all of the leadership on this campus,” Morehead said on Saturday. “In fact, earlier this week, we had just approved the launch of some new initiatives related to more lighting, more cameras on this campus. We have got to do the best we can to protect the individuals on this campus, and I remain committed to that effort.” UGA has put in place comprehensive measures to protect students, faculty, staff, and guests—including $16 million invested over the last eight years to hire more police personnel, design and install an extensive security camera network, enhance lighting, establish a nightly rideshare program, and create a widely used UGA Safe app. Morehead said he will be meeting with campus police again this week to learn if they have any other recommendations for implementation in this exhaustive, ongoing effort. 

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