University of Rhode Island Campus Police and Public Safety addressed safety concerns in the event of an active shooter.
After a mass shooter killed two students at Brown University in Providence on Dec. 13, 2025, many URI community members had campus security questions, according to Police Chief Paul Ricci and Public Safety Director Samuel Adams.
“Whatever comes out in the news about whatever has been identified, accurately or not, as a shortcoming is always what everybody wants to know about,” Adams said. “Those are the areas we’ve been taking a close look at.”
Although they are not made available to the public, URI has emergency response plans in place in the event of an active shooter, according to Ricci. Campus Police and Public Safety are working to develop transparent communication about these protocols and what to expect from them in an emergency moving forward.
“We’ve been focused on more of the infrastructure and policy, you know, these sort of immediate things to make sure everybody’s safe,” Ricci said. “But in the slightly longer term, that’s something we actually want to figure out how to do.”
No changes have been made to campus security policies since the shooting, according to Ricci.
“It doesn’t mean there won’t be, we’re just trying to take a very studied approach and work with it, and policy changes really happen at the senior leadership level,” Ricci said.
The department aims to create an approachable reputation with the student body in line with their community policing policy, so students feel comfortable approaching campus police with any questions or concerns they may have regarding public safety, according to Ricci.
“When you see the officer handing out the hot dogs in the quad, the hopeful result that comes from that is that you’re comfortable to talk to us,” Ricci said.
Certain limitations to access control as a public institution mean different security protocols from private universities like Brown University, according to Adams.
Measures like license plate-reading cameras and electronic access control systems help control and identify who enters and leaves campus, according to Ricci.
Electronic access control systems are in the process of being standardized for all new buildings, according to Ricci. If funding is provided, access control systems in existing buildings could be retrofitted to a single platform.
Campus security camera system was recently overhauled, but additional potential gaps are being reviewed, according to Adams. There are approximately 1,000 cameras spread throughout campus. Security camera policy and how to request cameras for specific areas are available on the URI website.
For students, faculty and staff looking to learn more about being prepared in the event of an active shooter, the URI Police Department holds Civilian Response Active Shooter Emergency Training. The program teaches community members emergency response using the Avoid, Deny Defend method, according to the Police Department website. CRASE runs several times per week and has seen an uptick in registration requests since December, according to Ricci.
Students should prepare themselves for an emergency as much as possible on an individual level, according to Ricci.
“[Public safety] is kind of a partnership,” Adams said. “Everybody has to be involved in it and people need to know what to do. If I could add, what we really want is for people to be aware of their surroundings. If something seems amiss, say something, report it.”
