About

Safety & Security

USN has contracted the Vanderbilt University Police Department to provide campus security and oversee the school’s comprehensive physical security plan as well as training for faculty, staff, and K-12 students.

VUPD is a law enforcement agency accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. VUPD employs approximately 100 sworn police officers commissioned and empowered with the same authority to enforce laws as any other law enforcement agency and operates through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. VUPD also has access to USN’s cameras and the ability to lock exterior doors remotely in the event of an emergency.

School Resource Officers are certified police officers who are primarily assigned to a school and provide safety and security-related functions, including emergency response, safety training, traffic direction, and patrol functions. Community Service Officers are our non-sworn security officers who focus on observing and reporting but also have a strong customer service aspect to their position. These commissioned police officers and security officers establish relationships with students through activities such as reading to Lower Schoolers in Hassenfeld library, accompanying Middle Schoolers on a ride around Vanderbilt University’s campus on bikes students refurbished in art class, and speaking at High School assemblies.

USN Safety & Security Team

List of 6 members.

  • Photo of Aerin Washington

    Aerin Washington 

    VUPD Captain, USN Director of Safety and Security
    6155960355
    Grambling State University - MS
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville - BS
    At USN since: 2023
  • Photo of Anthony Jones

    Anthony Jones 

    VUPD Sergeant, USN School Resource Officer
    At USN since: 2023
  • Photo of Robert Gibson

    Robert Gibson 

    VUPD Corporal, USN School Resource Officer
    At USN since: 2023
  • Photo of Lakeith Washum

    Lakeith Washum 

    Community Service Officer
    Bethel University - Bachelor of Science Criminial Justice
    At USN since: 2023
  • Photo of Rochelle Law-Wagener

    Rochelle Law-Wagener 

    Community Service Officer
    At USN since: 2023
  • Photo of Larita Kent

    Larita Kent 

    Community Service Officer
    At USN since: 2024
USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.