Nearly one year after Laken Riley was murdered at the University of Georgia, the school announced an additional $1.7 million security investment in campus safety projects.
UGA President Jere Morehead made the news public Wednesday in his annual state of the university speech, saying that the funds would go toward more security fencing, emergency call stations and new software and technology improvements for the UGA Police Department.
This follows the $7.3 million announced a year ago that was designated for perimeter fencing, emergency call stations, security cameras, lighting and automated license plate readers.
The money was also used to make what UGA said would be a permanent 20% increase to the UGA Police Department budget, which would be used in part to add more safety personnel and deploy them to areas where students gather at night.
Morehead said the school has invested more than $23 million in security investments over the past eight years before the $1.7 million funding announced Wednesday.
“We are constantly reviewing further initiatives to ensure that we provide a safe and secure campus environment,” Morehead said.
UGA faced calls before for better campus security, but especially so after the death of Riley, whose body was found near the intramural fields.
The Augusta University nursing student, who had previously been enrolled at UGA, was out for a run on campus last February when she was attacked and murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an Athens resident and Venezuelan citizen who unlawfully entered the country in 2022. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder.
President Donald Trump signed a bill into law Wednesday named after Riley that will give federal immigration agencies broad authority to detain migrants accused of a variety of crimes.
About the Author
