Utah university where Charlie Kirk was killed is expanding its police force

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah university where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated is expanding its police force and adding security managers after the school received harsh criticism for its lack of key safety measures on the day of the shooting.

Utah Valley University is in the process of hiring eight additional campus police officers and two new safety managers who will help coordinate security for future events on campus, spokesperson Ellen Treanor said Wednesday.

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Kirk was fatally shot from a campus rooftop on Sept. 10 while debating students in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by several tall buildings. An Associated Press review found that the Orem campus did not implement several public safety practices that have become standard safeguards for security at events around the country. Police staffing also fell far below recommended margins for a school of its size.

Campus police did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event attended by about 3,000 people. There were no bag checks or metal detectors, and several students who bought tickets told the AP they were never checked.

Chief Jeffrey Long said just after the shooting that only six officers had staffed the event. Kirk also had an eight-person private security detail present.

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The university has 23 police officers, or one for every 1,400 on-campus students, according to a 2024 university report. Its planned expansion to just over 30 officers still falls short of police staffing at other large public schools nationwide.

The average public university in the U.S. has around one officer for every 500 students — the ratio recommended by campus safety advocates — according to a 2024 Department of Justice study. To meet that threshold, Utah Valley would need at least 64 officers for its on-campus student body of about 32,000.

The school has a policing budget of $2.1 million for the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1, down slightly from its $2.2 million operating budget at the time of the shooting, according to public records obtained by the AP.

Treanor did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the university was funding the planned additions to its police force.

Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder and is awaiting trial.