Department of Public Safety Officers
Public Safety Officers (PSOs)
- PSOs wear a navy blue uniform shirt with navy blue uniform pants and a distinctive USC Department of Public Safety shoulder patch.
- PSOs are armed, trained at a California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (CA P.O.S.T.)-accredited academy, and have peace officer powers of arrest while on-duty per California Penal Code § 830.7(b).
Community Service Officers (CSOs)
- CSOs wear a French blue uniform shirt with navy blue uniform pants and a distinctive USC Department of Public Safety shoulder patch.
- CSOs are unarmed, receive the security guard-level training required by the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (CA BSIS) and exceed it through in-service training on topics such as de-escalation, defensive driving, first aid/CPR, and more, and have security guard-level authority.
Department of Public Safety Uniformed Civilian Personnel/Volunteers
Public Safety Dispatchers (PSDs)
- PSDs wear a gray polo shirt with USC Department of Public Safety · Communications Division embroidered on the left chest, as well as black uniform pants.
- PSDs are civilian employees.
Surveillance Operations Monitors (SOMs)
- SOMs wear a gray polo shirt with USC Department of Public Safety · Surveillance Operations embroidered on the left chest, as well as black uniform pants.
- SOMs are civilian employees.
Law Enforcement Cadets
- Cadets are youth volunteers who wear a black polo with cadet written on the back.
- Cadets are youth volunteers.
Contracted Uniformed Security
Allied Universal Security (AUS) – “Yellow Jackets”
- Allied Ambassadors wear a red and yellow jacket with USC AMBASSADOR embroidered on the back, as well as black uniform pants.
- Allied Ambassadors are not USC DPS employees; they are contracted employees who work for Allied Universal Security (AUS). Their duty is to observe and report any incidents to USC DPS.
