“Client-friendly, Fan-friendly, Employee-friendly” is the motto of Landmark Event Staffing Services, the private security company hired by the University to help enforce COVID-19 guidelines on campus.
LSU Division of Strategic Communications sent out an email on Aug. 21 informing students of the additional security.
“Beginning Monday, you may also see additional security hired by LSU to help keep campus safe and to remind us all to wear masks and follow COVID-19 protocols while on campus,” the email read.
The email said the additional security and other measures such as testing, wearing masks and using the TIGER Check system, were “necessary steps to protect our community and our futures.”
The security will also enforce LSU’s tobacco-free campus policy, which prohibits all smoking and vaping on campus.
Landmark is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Private Security. Its services include ushering, ticket taking, parking and transportation services and event security. The University has previously used the firm in various capacities for sporting events.
Landmark’s staff can be spotted around campus in their uniform of bright yellow or navy shirts, embellished with a large “L” on the right hand corner and dark pants. They will be stationed in high pedestrian traffic areas, where they will patrol on foot to provide high visibility. There will be three teams of two people monitoring campus around the clock.
The staff’s primary duty is to offer words of encouragement and reminders to those who are not abiding by the University’s COVID-19 protocols.
Interim President Galligan said personnel from Landmark are event management staffers, used to dealing with large crowds and enforcing event rules. They are not on campus to intimidate anyone but to provide support and keep everyone safe. He said all of the confrontations he’s witnessed so far have been “really pleasant.”
Any disputes with students that cannot be resolved directly with Landmark will be directed to the LSU Office of Student Advocacy & Accountability. Faculty and staff violations will be addressed through Human Resource Management.
Galligan said one of the reasons Landmark was hired is because being confronted by an event management staffer is less intimidating than being confronted by LSUPD.
“It doesn’t quite send the same signal as a police officer in uniform,” Galligan said.
Landmark was also hired to aid LSUPD in identifying suspicious or dangerous behavior around campus.
As students return to campus during the pandemic, Galligan said the University’s main concern is safety.
“We all know how important this is,” Galligan said.
More information about the University’s fall reopening procedures can be found here: https://www.lsu.edu/roadmap/index.php
The LSU Police Department headquarters reside in the Campus Public Safety building on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 on South Stadium Drive.
