Creating incentives for threat management best practices: The creation of a campus safety score.

In light of the persistent occurrences of targeted violence on college campuses, more needs to be done in support of implementing best-practice safety measures.To this end, this study assesses a framework risk assessment tool designed to holistically assess safety on college campuses.Through a thematic analysis of interviews with professionals in criminal justice, threat management, violence prevention, counseling, student affairs/housing, university administration, insurance, and rating companies, this study examines the feasibility of quantifying campus safety through a four-pronged approach.Through this research, preliminary steps are taken toward developing a tool that provides campus stakeholders with objective data on campus safety, thereby empowering informed decision making in higher education.This study demonstrates that a campus safety score can drive meaningful improvements in campus safety by incentivizing best practices, identifying safety gaps, and supporting resource advocacy.By prioritizing transparency, external review, and the incorporation of additional effectiveness-focused metrics, the campus safety score can foster greater accountability.To this end, it can help build a stronger culture of safety, ultimately contributing to safer higher education environments. Public Significance StatementWhile some guidance on best practices for maintaining campus safety and traumainformed victim responses exists, implementation gaps persist.This study examines how a tool designed to holistically assess safety on college campuses in the United States could incentivize institutions to adopt best practices by focusing on four key areas, including best practices in policies, procedures, and training, crime data, safety culture, and community perceptions.We find that the draft campus safety score framework offers schools a way to identify gaps and advocate for safety improvements through targeted, data-driven resource allocations.