SALT LAKE CITY — It was one year ago when 21-year-old student Giselle Lara was killed at Columbus State University in Georgia, even after filing complaints of harassment to school security.
It's a scenario all too familiar for Jill McCluskey, the mother of 21-year-old Lauren, a University of Utah student-athlete murdered on campus in 2018. The McCluskey family took the school to court, later agreeing to a $13.5 million settlement two years after their daughter's death.
The family of Gisele Lara is now filing its own wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia.
Jill is now working as a victims advocate as part of a foundation in her daughter's name, which aims to create change in regard to school safety.
"Lauren’s Promise is, I will listen and believe you if someone is threatening you, and that really wasn’t the case with Lauren," Jill said. "They really didn’t listen or believe her."
The foundation helps advocate for specializing training.
"What that does is, it helps police officers to view their responsibilities with consideration of the victim’s point of views," she explained.
Changes have since been made at the University of Utah, with additional training now enforced for campus officers, something followed closely by departments all across the state.
"With the Lauren McCluskey case, we handed out a case to all of our officers and we had them bring us issues, or what they would have done better, and just to get them thinking about it and let them recognize the role we play and every bit of the role our actions play in the process," explained Utah Tech University Police Chief Wes Licalzi.
As Utah Tech in St. George welcomes students back to campus this week, Chief Licalzi hopes to be ready as the only department in the state with a National Police Chiefs Union Accreditation.
"It’s a lot of work to get those accreditations, and it basically means we are conducting ourselves daily, yearly, quarterly to live up to very high standards," the chief shared.
The department also advises all new students to get to know their local security.
"One thing we’re stressing is to call us," Licalzi shared. "I know it may be intimidating to call dispatch, or they think their issue is not important enough to call or they don’t have that right feeling. I tell them to call no matter what."
Campus police at Utah Tech also offer security escorts on campus to anyone who asks.
"I wish we didn’t live in a world where people wanted to do bad things to other people, but unfortunately it is a reality and all we can do is plan for it prepare for it and try to as much to prevent it as we can," the chief said.
The Lauren McCluskey Foundation is organizing a race called Lauren’s Lap, slated for November in which they look to race money and awareness for campus safety and security.
