Faculty, staff, students and patients are seeing a new presence on the Health Sciences Campus this year with the arrival of the Security Ambassadors. A prominent task force at the University Park Campus, the “yellow jackets,” as they are affectionately known due to their distinctive red and yellow uniforms, are serving as a protective presence around the campus perimeter. The ambassadors are tasked with observing and reporting suspicious or criminal activities at HSC.

“This enhanced security program is a result of a collaborative partnership between the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Keck Medicine of USC and the USC Department of Public Safety,” said Rod Hanners, COO of Keck Medicine and CEO of Keck Medical Center of USC. “The yellow jackets will enhance the security and safety of all of us who spend time at HSC, whether we are faculty, staff, students, patients or visitors.”

Deployed at locations around the perimeter of HSC seven days a week, the yellow jackets will be prominent primarily during late afternoon and evening hours.

As always, campus security concerns should be reported to the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) at (323) 442-1000 for emergency situations and (323) 442-1200 for non-emergency situations. Additionally, all members of the USC community are encouraged to sign up for TrojansAlert, an emergency notification system that allows university officials to share notifications in emergency situations via text message and email. Visit dps.usc.edu to sign up.

— Virginia Baca