Utah Valley University Expanding Police Force After Charlie Kirk

A law enforcement officer stands outside Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett, File) Crime scene tape surrounds Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

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... 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. 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.

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... 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. 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. 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... 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.

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. Fox News correspondent Matt Finn has the latest on the search for a motive in the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on 'Special Report.' The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah... "There were not a lot of cops there. I’ve seen more cops at UVU for sporting events than right now," a witness identified only as Sam, a local high school student, told KUTV right after the shooting on Wednesday. Sam also wondered why there weren’t stricter security measures, such as bag checks before the event.

"They had cops above on the walkways who were stopping — what I assume — people from throwing stuff down towards him. So, I wonder why there wasn’t any level of security taken to stop people around, like, in front of him or anything like that," he added. Kirk often appeared at venues where he faced strong criticism, going toe-to-toe with his harshest opponents on campuses and venues across the country. Law enforcement tapes off an area after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot at Utah Valley University, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, File) The Utah college where conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated lacked several key public safety measures and practices that have become standard safeguards for security at events...

Utah Valley University’s outdoor courtyard, where Kirk showed up on Sept. 10 to debate students, was surrounded by several tall buildings, leaving Kirk vulnerable. That was made all the more potent because campus police didn’t fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event. It deployed only six officers from a force that was already small for a campus its size. There were no bag checks or metal detectors. A sniper took position on a nearby roof and killed Kirk with a single shot about 20 minutes after the event began, escaping notice from campus police.

Security at Utah Valley University will come into sharper focus in the coming months as lawmakers and the public seek answers about what could have been done differently. The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday raises questions about what security measures were in place to protect him and students attending the event. UVU police Chief Jeff Long briefly addressed that question at a news conference hours after the tragedy. “We’re devastated by what happened today. This is a police chief’s nightmare,” he said. Kirk spoke sitting under a pop-up tent at the bottom of a tiered outdoor amphitheater in the center of campus surrounded by buildings.

Long said six police officers were working the event along with plain-clothes officers among the crowd he estimated to be about 3,000 people. He didn’t specify the number of undercover officers. The UVU police force, he said, is “small” and covers a large campus with 40,000 students. Updated September 30, 2025 at 3:29 PM MDT Charlie Kirk's assassination at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday has increased concerns about security and free speech on college campuses, and university... The event drew about 3,000 people to an amphitheater-shaped space on campus, and authorities believe the fatal shot was fired from a rooftop overlooking the area. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) On their first day back to campus since the fatal shooting of political commentator Charlie Kirk, students silently gather near Utah Valley University's closed courtyard on Wednesday,...

17, 2025. Orem • Nearly every student who walked by on their way to class at Utah Valley University early Wednesday stopped for a minute at the spot where everything changed. A week ago, political commentator Charlie Kirk had been speaking in this campus courtyard when a single shot rang out, striking and killing him. Now, the place where he spoke is surrounded by a thick metal fence as officers patrol nearby. The loudest sounds were whispers Wednesday, quietly shared below a new, 25-foot tall American flag that hangs over the solemn space. “I think a lot of people are scared to return,” said Raymond Lopez, a 26-year-old pre-health student at UVU.

OREM, Utah — Two months after the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Utah Valley University says it wants more police. The school's desire for more officers comes as the Utah legislature is asking the state’s universities to cut their budgets. “Campus police are what are often referred to as cops-plus, because they do all the things that municipal police do, and then there's a host of other things that they're involved with," said Michael... Rein now works as a campus security consultant for the security firm COSCURE Enterprise Risk Solutions. "The Bureau of Justice Statistics did some research back in 2021 that was only recently made available. But in their research, they found that for public institutions, they average about 2.2 officers per 1,000 students,” Rein said.

UVU provides first document related to campus Kirk shooting, denies others: Law enforcement responds after conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Utah Valley University is starting an independent review with a third-party organization in the aftermath of the shooting that killed conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during a speaking event at the university’s campus. “We believe the findings of the comprehensive, third-party independent review of this targeted act of violence will offer valuable insights on how college campuses improve response and preparedness moving forward,” Astrid Tuminez, president of...

“We will integrate the findings into our efforts to strengthen and improve safety practices for UVU and all of Utah higher education.” The university has implemented several measures to protect staff, faculty and students, according to a news release. Operational details are unavailable for security reasons, but there’s an increased law enforcement presence on campus. Lawmakers on the Utah Legislature’s School Security Task Force also spoke about the independent review during a Monday meeting, saying they expect those findings to provide valuable insights on how higher education institutions across... Utah Valley University, where conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated, lacked several key public safety measures and practices that have become standard safeguards for security at events around the country, an Associated Press review... The university's outdoor courtyard, where Kirk showed up on Sept.

10 to debate students, was surrounded by several tall buildings, leaving Kirk vulnerable. That was made all the more potent because campus police didn't fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event. It deployed only six officers from a force that was already small for a campus its size. There were no bag checks or metal detectors. A sniper took position on a nearby roof and killed Kirk with a single shot about 20 minutes after the event began, escaping notice from campus police. Security at Utah Valley University will come into sharper focus in the coming months as lawmakers and the public seek answers about what could have been done differently.

“Absolutely there were security failures; it left him exposed,” said Greg Shaffer, who oversaw Kirk’s security from 2015 to 2022. “It was egregious enough that someone was able to take advantage and kill him.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, left, speaks with Utah Valley University Chief of Police Jeff Long, right, at a press conference on the campus after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event Wednesday. Hannah Schoenbaum/AP hide caption Charlie Kirk's assassination at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday has increased concerns about security and free speech on college campuses, and university police chiefs are thinking through what the shooting...

The event drew about 3,000 people to an amphitheater-shaped space on campus, and authorities believe the fatal shot was fired from a rooftop overlooking the area. Six university police officers were assigned to the event, and Kirk had his own security detail. Some security experts told NPR the number of officers at the UVU event was not enough for an event of that size. And some attendees said the security presence felt minimal, noting that there were no bag checks as people entered. NPR reached out to the university and its police force, as well as the Utah Department of Public Safety, but did not receive a response. "Any time you have this type of violence, it's a game-changer," says Richard Beary, who served for more than a decade as police chief at the University of Central Florida.

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