A quick guide to recognizing TMU Security staff by their uniforms
With a new semester underway, we’re sharing a quick guide to help you understand how to recognize a TMU Community Safety and Security employee on campus.
The uniforms for both TMU’s security guards and our Crime Prevention and Community Engagement staff have been designed to allow students, faculty and staff to quickly identify members of the Community Safety and Security Team by their role. The goal is to help community members understand the important function they play in supporting safety and security on campus, and also help differentiate our staff from other security personnel employed by nearby businesses and organizations.
If you need assistance, approach any Community Safety and Security staff member
While TMU’s Community Safety and Security uniforms make it easy for you to identify a staff member’s role, if you have immediate security concerns, please approach any member of the Community Safety and Security team for assistance, regardless of what they’re wearing.
As a reminder, in the event of an emergency or immediate threat to your safety, please call 911.
Who’s who in Community Safety and Security
Full-time security guards
The most common uniform on our campuses are the yellow polo shirts worn by full-time security guards, who provide frontline security coverage and emergency response support to the campus community.
TMU’s full-time security guards fill a variety of roles on campus, serving as certified Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), dispatchers and auxiliary guards in key buildings like campus residences and parking lots.
How to identify a full-time security guard
A full-time security guard’s uniform consists of:
- A yellow short-sleeved polo with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- Toronto Metropolitan University logo
- GardaWorld Security
- Security
- A black protective vest with their security guard license number
Shift supervisors
Donning blue polos, TMU’s security guard shift supervisors manage the day-to-day activities of our frontline security guard team.
Not only do they provide on-the-ground security support coverage, shift supervisors also oversee the daily schedule and shift assignments of security guards, facilitate training and development opportunities for staff, and act as the primary liaisons between frontline staff and community safety and security leadership.
Do you have feedback concerns or want to acknowledge a member of the Security team? Consider approaching a shift supervisor or emailing security@torontomu.ca if you’re on TMU’s Toronto campus or somsecurity@torontomu.ca if you’re on TMU’s Brampton campus.
How to identify a shift supervisor
A Shift Supervisor’s uniform consists of:
- A blue short-sleeved polo with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- Toronto Metropolitan University logo
- GardaWorld Security
- Security
- A black protective vest with their security guard license number
Extra coverage security guards
In some instances, TMU temporarily hires additional GardaWorld employees who are not assigned to our campuses full-time to provide special coverage for events or during anticipated disruptions on campus, like rallies or protests. While these staff are available to assist you, please be aware that they may be less familiar with the TMU campuses than guards wearing yellow or blue polos.
Like full-time guards and shift supervisors, extra coverage security guards have standard first aid and CPR level C certification, knowledge of the Canadian Criminal Code and Trespass to Property Act powers of arrest and Use of Force training.
Note: GardaWorld security guards employed by other local businesses and organizations are issued the same white uniform as extra coverage security guards at TMU.
How to identify extra coverage security guards
An extra coverage security guard’s uniform consists of:
- A white short-sleeved polo with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- GardaWorld Security
- Security
- GardaWorld crest
Crime Prevention and Community Engagement (CPCE) staff
Complementing the frontline emergency response services provided by TMU security guards, TMU’s Crime Prevention and Community Engagement team works proactively to reduce and deter criminal activity and provide tailored harm reduction supports and referrals for street-involved individuals on our campuses.
Identifiable via their blue polos, grey sweaters and windbreakers, the Crime Prevention and Community Engagement team actively develops and maintains relationships with street-involved individuals who frequent our surrounding neighbourhoods and experience challenges with addictions, mental health or the effects of being unhoused. With CPCE team members working on our downtown Toronto campus embedded in the Strategic Outreach and Support Team (SORT) pilot project, our staff work with social agencies and the City of Toronto to advocate for tailored services for the broader TMU community, including street outreach and housing-related support services.
The Crime Prevention and Community Engagement team also facilitates immersive, skill-based workshops and training opportunities designed to empower the TMU community to respond more confidently to potential threats to their personal safety.
How to identify Crime Prevention and Community Engagement staff
Members of the Crime Prevention and Community Engagement team may wear any of the following:
- A blue short-sleeved polo with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- Community Engagement Team
- The TMU one-colour brand mark
- A grey quarter-zip sweater with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- Community Safety Team
- The TMU one-colour brand mark
- A grey windbreaker with the following patches across the chest or shoulder:
- Community Safety Team
- The TMU one-colour brand mark
Learn more about the Community Safety and Security team
We encourage you to visit the Community Safety and Security website to learn more about the team and TMU’s community-centric approach to addressing safety and security on our campuses.