Types of Officers

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.