Brown Shooting Triggers Federal Scrutiny of Campus Safety Compliance
Federal education officials have launched a formal review of Brown University’s campus safety policies and emergency response practices following the December 13 mass shooting that killed two students and injured nine others. The U.S. Department of Education is examining whether Brown complied with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, according to a report by Reuters.
Federal scrutiny focuses on Clery Act compliance
As part of the review, federal officials have requested extensive documentation from the university, including annual security reports, daily crime logs, surveillance coverage details, and internal emergency response protocols. Brown has been given until late January to submit the materials as investigators assess whether the university’s systems and procedures met federal requirements outlined under the Clery Act.
Brown President Christina Paxson said the university’s emergency notification system sent alerts to approximately 20,000 students, faculty, and staff shortly after the shooting and emphasized that the campus is monitored by more than 1,200 security cameras, Reuters reported. University leaders have maintained that the institution responded quickly, while acknowledging that the incident has prompted a broader reassessment of safety operations.
Leadership changes and internal review underway
In a related move, Brown placed its vice president for public safety and emergency management on administrative leave while the university conducts an internal after-action review and brings in an external expert to evaluate security operations, according to ABC News.
Brown’s situation has already prompted broader discussion across the higher education sector about campus safety preparedness and federal oversight, themes also examined in a recent EduPulse analysis of the incident and its implications for colleges nationwide.
What comes next for campus safety oversight
While the Clery Act is often associated with annual crime reporting, the Brown review signals a shift toward closer federal scrutiny of institutions’ real-time safety infrastructure and emergency response capabilities, not just disclosure compliance. Colleges found in violation can face substantial fines and, in extreme cases, risk their eligibility for federal student aid — a critical revenue stream for most institutions.
As universities across the country revisit campus safety strategies in the wake of the Brown shooting, higher education leaders will be watching closely to see whether this review reshapes expectations around surveillance standards, emergency alert systems, and institutional accountability for preventing and responding to campus violence.
