Roxanne Gasana, Campus Carrier staff writer
Officials from Berry College Police Department (BCPD) shared details on their approach to immigration enforcement activities and off-campus crime. While they declined to share specifics on how they would handle immigration enforcement actions, they said they regularly cooperate with local law enforcement.
Chief of Staff Casee Gilbert confirmed that Berry has internal guidelines addressing questions about federal immigration enforcement, including potential interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to Gilbert, a staff leadership team created an internal frequently asked questions document in January 2025. The document answers three questions that the team thought were commonly asked. This document helps staff respond consistently to questions from students, families and community members.
“That FAQ document was created as an internal resource,” Gilbert said. “If someone inquired via phone, email or during a visit to campus, those would be our guiding principles for how we would share information.”
Immigration-related information in the document remains current. Gilbert stated that Welcome Center staff are trained to contact the appropriate campus authorities if approached by immigration enforcement or any law enforcement agency showing official documentation.
“We will always follow the law, as we are required to,” Gilbert said. “If any law enforcement officer presents the right credentials and documentation, we have a support system and a process in place.”
BCPD declined to share specific details about how immigration enforcement situations would be handled, citing security and planning reasons. Chesley further said that procedures are in place to ensure legal compliance while maintaining campus safety and reliability.
“Part of our job and the ability to do our job well means that not everything can be shared,” Chesley said.
While they do not investigate crimes beyond campus boundaries, BCPD keeps an eye on nearby activities by communicating with the Rome Police Department and the Floyd County Police Department, as well as through social media and news reports.
Chesley described coordination with local departments as consistent but mostly informal, relying on phone calls to share relevant information.
“We all have personal relationships with officers and other agencies. It’s a phone call back-and-forth relationship,” Chesley said. “If they know something’s going on that they feel like we need to know about, they call and let us know. Or if we have questions, we call and ask.”
If a crime involving a Berry student occurs off campus, the primary responsibility falls to the agency with jurisdiction over the location. However, campus police may assist local departments if requested and may notify students if nearby incidents pose a safety risk.
“Our formal policy is that if a crime occurs off campus involving a Berry student, we don’t have formal involvement,” Chesley said.
BCPD assesses threats based on their proximity, frequency and severity. While there is no formal threat-level system, officials review available information and send out safety communications as needed.
“If we really feel like there’s something that is posing a threat to the campus or our safety here, then we try to share that information in a way students can use,” Chesley said.
With Berry’s campus spanning more than 27,000 acres, BCPD encourages students to remain aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activity. Chesley emphasized that safety is a shared responsibility between law enforcement and the campus community.
“When we’re actively engaged in paying attention, we’re better prepared to know when something doesn’t quite fit,” Chesley said.
Chesley said that BCPD will continue reviewing safety policies, communication tools and new technology to improve campus safety and ensure timely communication with students.
“We shouldn’t ever approach safety with an attitude that we have completed our work and we’re done,” Chesley said. “We should always stay in a state of review and evaluation and be open to the idea that things may need to be improved.”