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USC Freshman Get Crash Course In Campus Safety After Shootings

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Public safety officers gave incoming students at the University of Southern California a lecture on personal safety Friday.

KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby reports the topic was on the mind of this year's new crop of USC freshmen after the murder of two Chinese students in an attempted carjacking last spring.

USC Freshman Get Crash Course In Campus Safety After Shootings

An LAPD lead senior officer joined the USC Department of Police Services for student orientation to talk about behavior expected of students at parties off-campus and how to follow directions should police be called to parties.

With the campus situated in a notoriously dangerous neighborhood, new students like freshman Jason Louie learned how to keep their belongings - and themselves - safe on and off campus.

"I feel like really safe here, there's like so many security guards," Louie said.

Capt. Steve Alegrey with the USC Department of Public Safety said several new security measures have been put in place after four people were shot at a Halloween party last October outside the Tutor Campus Center.

Since then, pedestrian gates now block non-USC students or employees from entering the school, while guards check students and staff for their identification cards at campus entrances. Students who live in residential housing must scan their fingers in order to access their buildings.

"The university has done so much to address the issues that are around USC," Alegrey said. "I feel very confident this a very safe place to send your kids."

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