UGA announces additional $1.7 million on security one year after Laken Riley's murder
The president of the University of Georgia has announced that the school will spend nearly $2 million for new security measures, which comes one year after the murder of Laken Riley.
President Jere Morehead said the additional $1.7 million for security would be used to purchase more emergency call stations, fencing and improved technology at UGA’s police department.
The president of the University of Georgia has announced that the school will spend nearly $2 million for new security measures, which comes one year after the murder of Laken Riley.
During his State of the University address on Jan. 29, Jere Morehead said the additional $1.7 million for security would be used to purchase more emergency call stations, fencing and improved techonology at UGA’s police department.
[Related: STURGE: The Laken Riley Act makes college women safer]
“I recently approved more than $1.7 million in additional campus safety projects to install even more emergency call stations and security fencing, as well as new software and technology improvements for the UGA Police Department,” he said. “We are constantly reviewing further initiatives to ensure that we provide a safe and secure campus environment.”
Morehead’s announcement comes after the murder of Laken Riley, a UGA nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien while she went for a run on campus in February 2024. The university spent over $7 million in additional security measures following her death.
A portion of that money was allocated to increased security personnel near residential areas, and other areas with heavy student foot traffic, such as the Miller Learning Center and the university’s libraries.
“There is no higher priority at the University of Georgia than the safety and security of our campus community,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a July 2024 statement regarding the increased security investment.
“We continually evaluate our safety programs in close collaboration with our partners. Our ongoing investments are strengthening virtually all aspects of campus security,” he added.
[Related: UGA bolsters campus security with $7.3 million investment following Laken Riley murder]
On Jan. 29, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which requires the “Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Georgia for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
