Keeping our Saints Safe: A Flagler College Safety & Security Spotlight

While classrooms, residence halls, and campus events are often the most visible parts of life at Flagler College, a dedicated team works around the clock behind the scenes to help ensure the safety and well-being of the campus community.

The Flagler College Safety & Security Department serves as a 24/7 presence across campus, providing everything from emergency response and building security to safety education and student support. Whether assisting students after hours, coordinating with local law enforcement, monitoring campus facilities, or responding to emergencies, the department plays a vital role in creating an environment where Saints can learn, live, and thrive. 

The Faces of Flagler Safety 

Every student deserves to feel safe on campus, and every parent deserves peace of mind knowing who is working behind the scenes to make that possible. At Flagler, that responsibility belongs to a team of highly experienced professionals dedicated to protecting the campus community every day. 

Leading the department is Director of Safety and Security William Bird, whose career in federal law enforcement includes 11 years with the United States Secret Service. During his time with the agency, Bird served on the Uniformed Division, worked at the White House, and traveled the world as part of protective details responsible for safeguarding some of the nation's highest-profile leaders. 

"For a leader that has once protected the President of the United States and the White House, he's also now tasked with protecting your student in these historic buildings that we have on campus," Assistant Director of Safety and Security Trent Theobald said. 

Working alongside Bird is Theobald, who brings more than two decades of law enforcement experience to Flagler. Before joining the College, Theobald spent 21 years with the Speedway Police Department in Speedway, Indiana, retiring as captain of operations. His career included helping oversee public safety in the community surrounding the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 and one of the world's largest single-day sporting events. 

While Bird and Theobald bring decades of leadership experience to the department, they are far from the only members of the team with extensive public safety backgrounds. According to Theobald, many of Flagler's officers are retired law enforcement professionals from top agencies across the country, including Philadelphia, New York City, and Miami. 

"One of the things that I like to bring up when I've had an opportunity to talk to parents is that we do have a very unique background as far as our officers go," Theobald said. "It's not just a security officer that ended up here. A lot of these folks have a neat background in what they did before they came to Flagler," he concluded. 

Together, Bird and Theobald oversee a team that provides around-the-clock coverage for the Flagler community. Organized into three shifts, the department operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ensuring help is always available to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. 

"The biggest thing is that we are 24 hours a day, seven days a week operation," Theobald said. "That means there are always going to be somebody on this campus from Safety and Security." 

More Than a Security Presence 

Around-the-clock staffing is only one part of the department's approach to campus safety. Flagler has invested in multiple resources designed to make it easier for students to access assistance, report concerns, and receive emergency information whenever they need it. 

One of the department's primary safety tools is Omnilert, a mobile application that allows students to communicate directly with Safety & Security. Through the app, students can submit tips, request assistance, and receive emergency notifications, all from their phones. 

According to Theobald, every alert is sent directly to the department's dispatch center and officers carrying the application on their phone, allowing multiple team members to respond immediately. 

"It is an immediate response," Theobald said. "It gives us somewhat of a GPS area of where that student’s located to help us know which area that we need to respond to." 

The department also uses Omnilert to communicate important campus safety information during emergencies, ensuring students receive notifications as quickly as possible. 

Theobald said helping students become familiar with these resources begins before classes even start. During New Saints Orientation, students are encouraged to pull out their phones, download the Omnilert app, and save the Safety & Security dispatch number before classes even begin, ensuring help is only a tap or phone call away from their first day on campus. 

For students who do not feel comfortable walking across campus late at night, Flagler also offers its Safe Ride shuttle service. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the service transports students safely between residence halls, academic buildings, and other campus locations. 

Whether students are leaving the library after a late-night study session, heading to class during inclement weather, or simply looking for a safer way across campus, the service provides another layer of support. 

The department even recently purchased a new shuttle that will enter service this academic year, making the service more visible on campus while continuing to provide students with safe, reliable transportation around the College. 

Partners in Protection 

While Flagler's Safety & Security Department maintains a constant presence on campus, it does not work alone. Through longstanding partnerships with the St. Augustine Police Department (SAPD) and other local public safety agencies, the College has developed an area-wide coordinated approach to keeping students, faculty, staff, and visitors safe. 

Unlike many colleges and universities that operate their own police departments, Flagler intentionally relies on its close partnership with SAPD. Located in the heart of historic downtown St. Augustine, the College falls within the city's jurisdiction, allowing Safety & Security and local law enforcement to work side by side every day. 

Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the College and the City of St. Augustine, SAPD assigns a dedicated school resource officer to Flagler year-round, while also providing additional officers during the academic year for campus events and increased student activity. 

Officer Gary Johnson has served as Flagler College's school resource officer since 2017, becoming one of the most recognizable and approachable members of the campus community. A Flagler alumnus and longtime SAPD officer, Johnson is a familiar face throughout campus, regularly interacting with students beyond his law enforcement responsibilities.

"Gary hosts the Coffee with a Cop on a regular basis with students," Theobald said. "There is community outreach from SAPD, but not just by giving us an officer. It's a little bit more than that; they're very active." 

Whether greeting students during his daily patrols, participating in campus events, or answering questions over coffee, Johnson's role extends beyond responding to emergencies. His visibility and accessibility help strengthen the relationship between students and local law enforcement while reinforcing the close partnership between Flagler and SAPD. 

That commitment to collaboration extends beyond the officers that students see every day. Recently, Flagler's Safety & Security Department partnered with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to strengthen the department's radio communications system by transitioning to Motorola APX 6000 radios operating on the county's 800-megahertz public safety network, a project Theobald believes will significantly enhance emergency preparedness. 

The upgrade provides Flagler with its own dedicated communications channel, allowing officers to communicate more efficiently while creating direct interoperability with police and fire personnel during emergencies. 

"It's bigger to us than just a set of radios, because now we have immediate connectability with police and fire if we need them," Theobald said. 

In high-stress situations, where every second matters, that direct communication can eliminate unnecessary delays. Rather than relaying information through multiple dispatchers, responding police officers and firefighters can communicate directly with Flagler's Safety & Security team while in route, allowing them to pinpoint locations faster and coordinate their response more effectively. 

Theobald said the upgraded system has been a game changer for the department, strengthening communication not only within the Safety & Security team, but also with the public safety partners they rely on every day. 

Looking Ahead 

While technology and emergency preparedness continue to play an important role in campus safety, Theobald believes the department's future will be shaped just as much by collaboration and open communication. 

One way the department is putting that philosophy into practice is through its Campus Safety Town Hall series. Hosted in partnership with the Student Government Association, Student Affairs, the St. Augustine Police Department, the St. Augustine Beach Police Department, and representatives from the FBI Jacksonville Field Office, the forums provide students with an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and hear directly from the agencies responsible for helping keep campus safe. 

Rather than simply presenting information, Theobald said the department wants to create an ongoing dialogue with the campus community. 

"What are your concerns?" he said. "We want to have an open format that you can come and we can have these conversations." 

In an Emergency

If you are experiencing an immediate emergency, call 911 first, then notify Flagler College Safety & Security as soon as it is safe to do so.