Safety, security & parking

CCAD Safety & Security is committed to making our campus the safest place for you. Our Safety Officers strive to respond swiftly, effectively and with sensitivity to the diverse community we serve and are trained in a number of specialized areas including:​

  • First Aid, CPR and use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
  • Active threat response
  • Mental health first-aid
  • Crime prevention and education
  • Tactical bike patrol
  • Community outreach

Officers are on patrol by foot, bike and vehicle, working with students, faculty and staff and collaborating with neighborhood security partners to deter crime. CCAD Security maintains constant communication with the Columbus Police Department, the Columbus State Community College Police, the Discovery District SID Security, and other law enforcement agencies.

Your safety is our top priority!

Security services

Well-trained and experienced officers ensure a safe, secure, and friendly campus.
Available 24/7/365
614.222.6165

Online Witness Statement

Emergency medical services Security escorts
Emergency response Residents' lock-outs
Vehicle lock-outs Vehicle jump-starts
Lost items Bike, vehicle, and foot patrols
Parking permits Student IDs
Information

Crime prevention

  • Always let to let someone know where you’re going—especially if you’re going unaccompanied.
  • Don’t let strangers into any building that is locked or secured, and don’t allow them to follow you in.
  • Report suspicious activity to CCAD Security immediately: 614.222.6165. You don’t have to be sure something is wrong. We’re happy to check into it.
  • Don’t leave valuables unattended in any place for any amount of time, and always keep your room locked – home or away.  Items left briefly unattended make up the majority of the thefts reported on campus
  • Walk with a friend or a group of friends. Walk briskly, know where you are going, and be familiar with an area before traveling it on foot.

For more safety tips, click here.

Active threat response

An active threat is defined as a person or person(s) engaging in activity that causes death or serious injury to others in a confined and populated area. Active threat situations evolve quickly and it’s important that all community members be mentally prepared to respond rapidly.  CCAD Security trains for these types of incidents and advocates that students, faculty, and staff follow the Run, Hide, Fight principle of responding to an active threat.

RUN

Have an escape route and plan in mind.

Leave your belongings behind.

Keep your hands visible.

Call 9-1-1 when you are safe.

HIDE

If unable to evacuate, your second option is to hide.

Lock the door and/or barricade the entry to your hiding place.

Silence your cell phone (including the vibration) and remain quiet.

 

FIGHT

Fight as a last resort and only when your life is in immediate danger.

Act with as much physical aggression as possible.

Improvise weapons or throw items at the active shooter.

The phrase Run Hide Fight® is a registered trademark of the City of Houston.

Active Threat Presentation, October 2017

When Law Enforcement Arrives

  • Remain calm and follow instructions.
  • Put down any items in your hands (i.e., bags, jackets).
  • Raise hands and spread fingers.
  • Keep hands visible at all times.
  • Avoid quick movements toward officers such as holding on to them for safety.
  • Avoid pointing, screaming, or yelling.
  • Do not stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating.

Information to Provide to the 9-1-1 Operator

If you are able, try and remember the following information so you can provide it to the dispatcher when you call 9-1-1:

  • Location of the active shooter(s).
  • Number of shooter(s).
  • Physical description of shooter(s).
  • Number and type of weapons held by shooter(s).
  • Number of potential victims at the location.

The first officers to arrive to the scene will not stop to help injured people. Expect rescue teams to follow the initial officers. These rescue teams will treat and remove the injured. Once you have reached a safe location, you will likely be held in that area by law enforcement until the situation is under control, and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Do not leave the area until law enforcement authorities have instructed you to do so.

Temporary Parking Permit

  • Students with valid parking registrations who wish to park a vehicle different from the one registered for a short period of time can get a free temporary parking permit in the Safety & Security Office.
  • Students without valid parking registrations can purchase temporary permits from the Safety & Security Office. Daytime permits are $5 per day and are valid from 7 a.m. of the day issued until 2 a.m. of the following date. Temporary overnight permits are $10 per day and are valid from 7 a.m. of the day issued until 7 a.m. of the following date.
  • Temporary permits must be clearly visible through the vehicle's front windshield and are valid only for the dates indicated on the permit. Temporary permit holders are subject to all CCAD student parking policies.

FAQs

We are located in the Administration Building at 107 N 9th St. We're located immediately east of the Loann Crane and behind (north) of the Schottenstein Dorm.

Replacement ID's are $30. We don't accept payments in the Security Office. Payments can be made through our ePayment service. Please contact the Student Central staff at 614.222.3295 for details and questions about payment options.

Maps are available in the Security Office and on the website. Any Security Officer can direct you and if you don't encounter one, you can always call our office at 614.222.6165. We respond to calls 24/7/365!

The campus map specifies student parking options. You can pick up a map in the Security Office or click here. Two lots are restricted to employee parking – the lot on the east side of the Administration Building and the lot on the north side of the AMF Building. The lot on the SW corner of Gay St and Cleveland Ave is restricted employees and to those with overnight parking permits. There is signage at each lot indicating if that lot has limited parking to employees or overnight parkers.

We do provide escorts across the campus for safety and security purposes. Students can contact the Security Department at 614.222.6165 at any time if they feel uncomfortable moving through campus. An officer will then meet the student at his/her location and escort them safely through the campus. For medical or safety purposes, we will provide escorts to off-campus locations within our established boundaries. These boundaries are Spring St to the north, Main St to the south, Parsons Ave to the east and High St to the west.

Yes. There are 9 exterior emergency phone boxes located strategically throughout campus. They are easily seen because a bright blue light is over each of them. Their locations are shown on our campus map. There are also 17 silver phones located in the common areas of many of our buildings that are meant to be used for emergency calls.

Yes. We call it the CCAD Alert Emergency Notification System. Through CCAD Alert, CCAD can contact you or a family member in the event of a campus emergency by cell phone, email, and/or text messaging. Registration is easy; read about it and register here.

Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., but officers are always on duty – 24/7/365! You can always reach a Security staff member at 614.222.6165.

You can obtain a temporary parking permit from the Security Office at no charge if you have another vehicle currently registered. These are good for one week at a time, but there is no limit to the number of temporary permits you can have.

It is really quite safe. We employ Security Officers to work around the clock – 24/7/365. Our Security Department has a great reputation. In addition to our own Security staff, the Columbus Police Department protects our campus as a part of the 16th precinct. There is also a neighborhood crime prevention organization, SID (Special Improvement District), that includes our campus as part of their territory. Our campus crime statistics for the last 3 years are excellent and they can be seen in our Annual Security & Fire Safety Report. Although our campus is relatively safe, it is always wise for students to use their good common sense to make themselves less vulnerable to crime. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity. 

We allow visitors to park in any available space, in any of our lots. Visitor permits are recommended and they are available at no charge in the Security Office, located in the Administration Building, on the SW corner of Long St and 9th Ave. There are some parking spaces intended specifically for visitors of our president's office and for those visiting our Corporate & Community Partnerships. Visitors of the president's office can park in any of the 5 spaces reserved for the president's guests. These are located in the lot directly east of the Canzani Center (aka JVC) in the NW corner. Visitors to our Corporate & Community Partnerships have spaces reserved for them in the lot directly across Cleveland Ave in the SW corner.