According to Capital B News, HBCUs are amping up security measures in a big way. 

Over the past three years, half of the nation's 101 HBCUs have dealt with targeted threats, with 49 bomb threats in 2022 alone, per a United Negro College Fund report. 

This fall, heightened security measures were taken after the shooting death of a conservative activist, triggering lockdowns at least seven HBCUs on Sept. 11. Although most college students are used to shooting drills and practice lockdowns staged around the country, college admins aren't playing around. With camera upgrades, more campus security, and mental health pros being added to the roster in recent years. 

“We invested in weapons detection technology because weapons in the United States as a whole have increased,” Lance Hatcher, Morgan State University’s police chief, said to Capital B. “Even carrying weapons, whether legally or illegally, are very prevalent within our society.

Morgan State in Baltimore boosted sworn officers by 60% and security by 20% since 2022, snagging $2.9 million in state grants for weapon detectors and ShotSpotter tech that pinpoints gunshots. Hampton scored $214,000 in federal Project SERV funds to hire counselors, while North Carolina A&T tests drone responses and license plate readers. 

“If this were 20, 30 years ago, people would think, ‘Oh, our big brothers are always watching,’” said Robert Hassell, the chief of the university police department at North Carolina A&T State University, to the outlet. “But now, in today’s society, I want to say it’s almost commonplace for this type of technology to be there, and we don’t even think about it.”