The Maryland Higher Education Commission awarded Montgomery College $562,500 that will fund new security measures as part of the state’s Campus Safety Grant program, the school announced Wednesday.
Montgomery College is one of 36 higher education institutions across the state that will share $18.75 million in grant funding from the commission, Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement. The community college has campuses in Germantown, Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, as well as education centers across the county.
The Campus Safety Grant program helps fund campus security assessment and recommendations, emergency management planning and the implementation of enhanced security mechanisms, according to Moore’s statement. Colleges are required to track and measure program outcomes by submitting quarterly performance measures and financial reports to the state commission.
According to Montgomery College’s announcement, the grant funding will pay for a security system for the new East County Education Center in Silver Spring that opened in April and several new public safety vehicles. The community college also will use the money to install new video surveillance cameras to enhance security coverage. The community college’s public safety team and Adam Reid, director of public safety, health and emergency management, are overseeing the project.
Sherwin Collette, senior vice president for administration and finance, said in the announcement that the grant comes at an important time for Montgomery College.
“As we expand our reach across the county, the addition of a security system at the East County Education Center, as well as new service vehicles, and video cameras, means that we will continue to ensure the safety and well-being of our college community,” Collette said.
Since the summer, the college, which serves 43,000 students a year across its campuses and centers, has twice experienced security issues at or near its campuses.
On Oct. 11, former student Yonas Alemseged Harris, 25, sent “intimidating and threatening emails” to the college and Montgomery County police, requiring the school to declare a code red and close campuses for the day. According to police, the emails allegedly said Harris planned to “shoot up” the community college.
In early August, the community college declared a brief lockdown of its Rockville campus after a police report of a nearby shooting.
The community college plans to spend the grant during the 2024-2025 fiscal year through one-time purchases, according to its announcement.
