Representatives at the University of Southern California (USC) have confirmed the campus is taking steps to ramp up security.

This, according to campus officials, is linked to gunfire that took place this time last year after a Halloween party.   Since that time, campus perimeter gates have been closed after dark and an additional law enforcement presence has been added.

Proponents of this change also point out that two graduate students were shot and killed in their car in an area not far from the school.

Undergraduate students said they had been wary about whether they'd be safe on the University's grounds, but the extra USC security presence and the ongoing checking of student IDs is helping keep their minds at ease.

As it stands, only properly accredited staff, faculty and students are permitted on campus after 9 p.m.   Visitors are allowed, according to USC officials, but they need to gain permission for nighttime visits beforehand.   Residence halls have been outfitted with fingerprint scanners so people who do not live in a specific dorm cannot gain entry.

The LAPD has also reportedly stepped up to help and has added an additional 15 officers to the University Task Force, which patrols areas on and close to campus.

USC President John Thomas said this increased visibility helps keep would-be law breakers at bay.

Campus law enforcement trains alongside the LAPD, he said, and both of the departments meet with the LA City Attorney's office each week to go review crime trends and statistic.   The relationship is seamless and everyone is committed to working together to keep students safe.

More than 165 surveillance cameras are situated throughout the campus, and the dispatch center streams these feeds on upward of 70 monitors.   In addition, the radios that are worn by officers directly connect to the dispatch center to ensure incidents are responded to as quickly as possible.

Campus law enforcement has also started to use license plate scanners.  This information can be sent to the CA Department of Justice to see if a vehicle has been stolen or if it has been tied to a crime.

LAPD officers do not believe that criminals are specifically targeting students and faculty, but feels that when you have a city-based campus, people who have ties to the university could find themselves in the cross-hairs.

On the other side of that coin, students and staff members have been hammering USC officials, lambasting them for under reporting instance of crime, such as the number of sexual assaults that take place on campus.   A spokesperson has confirmed that this is true and has said the school is looking into why the statistics are off.

At the same time, the university said they are committed to reducing these types of incidents and are working proactively to do it.