Department of Public Safety

You can feel safe on campus knowing that the Texarkana College Police Department Officers are experienced and monitoring campus 24/7. Contact the TC Police at any time at (903) 823-3330.

Police parked outside TASC

Immediate Emergency Notification Policy & Procedures

Upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the Campus Community, Texarkana College authorities will, without delay, distribute an alert of notification to the Campus Community, unless issuing an alert will, in the judgment of first responders, compromise the efforts to assist victims, or contain, respond to or mitigate the emergency.

The following represents the emergency notification procedure:

  • Confirmation of an incident that threatens the health or safety of the College community is conducted by the Department of Public Safety and/or Facilities Department.
  • Activation of the emergency notification systems is authorized by the President of the College, Dean of Students, Chief Instructional Officer and/or the Executive Director of Public Safety and Police Services.
  • A message alerting the College community of the threat is crafted by authorities in the Department of Public Safety Office.
  • Notification to neighboring institutions, local businesses and/or the media will be conducted by the Office of Public Relations or designated staff member.
  • Immediate notification of a threat to the health and/or safety of College members may be distributed to either a segment of the population or the entire campus community, depending on the scope of the threat. The methods of notification may include activation of the Rave Alert, email, or postings within campus buildings and/or the College website.

Students are automatically signed up upon successful completion of the academic registration process at Texarkana College. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up and can register for the emergency notification system by visiting Get Rave.

Be Aware

We at Texarkana College would like to give you some important information regarding a state law that goes into effect for us August 1, 2017.

The Texas Senate 84th Legislature passed Senate Bill 11 on June 13, 2015 called the “Campus Carry” Law. This law allows for the carrying of concealed handguns by License to Carry (LTC) holders on all public higher education campuses in Texas.

In order to be Licensed To Carry in Texas, the person must…

      • Be at least 21 years of age (or a member of the military or veteran not dishonorably discharged).
      • Successfully complete a LTC course.
      • Have no felony convictions or facing certain criminal charges.
      • Not be chemically dependent.
      • Not be prohibited by statute for any reason for possessing a firearm.
      • Be able to exercise sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun.

For anyone who meets these guidelines, the following rules are important to note…

      • It must always be “on or about your person.”
      • The handgun must be close enough to you that you can grasp it without materially changing position.
      • For example, if you carry your handgun in a backpack, the backpack must always remain close to you, within immediate reach.
      • You may not leave it in any area on campus (i.e. lockers in the Pinkerton Recreation Center).

The Texarkana College Board of Trustees adopted policy (see policy CHF Local or click the link http://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Code/200?filter=CHF ) regarding specific regulations on how SB 11 will be implemented here at TC. One section of policy we would like to point out to you specifies the areas where LTC holders will not be permitted to carry…

      1. Testing Center;
      2. Temporary campus testing sites when required by contract to be weapons-free zones (temporary signage);
      3. Student counselor office (temporary signage);
      4. Facilities used for UIL events (temporary signage); and
      5. Any location the College President may declare as necessary for campus safety (temporary signage).

As always, your safety is our highest priority. We plan to continue to communicate this information to you again in the weeks to come, and our Police Department and Administration will see to it that this law is implemented safely and effectively.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

  • It is the policy of the Texarkana College Police Department to thoroughly investigate all reports of missing persons. In addition, this agency considers a missing child and an adult that is mentally impaired, to be considered “at risk” until significant information to the contrary is confirmed.

    Missing Student Notification

    Emergency Contacts/Missing Persons

    During the housing check-in processes, students living on campus are required to provide at least one emergency contact to the Residence Hall Staff. This information is kept strictly confidential and may only be utilized by Residence Hall staff, and other Texarkana College staff members with emergency response job responsibilities, in the case of emergencies involving students such as death, life threatening injuries or a missing person report. Students may update their emergency contact information at any time by visiting with the front desk at each hall, or by contacting their hall director.

    On-campus residents have the option to designate at least one of their emergency contacts as a person to be notified in the event a student is determined to be missing for more than 24 hours. Whether or not a student has designated an emergency contact as a person to be notified, if a student is less than 18 years old, Federal Law requires that Texarkana College notify a parent or guardian within 24 hours of the determination that a student is missing.

    Staff members should follow the instructions below upon receiving a report of a missing student:

    1. Immediately contact the Campus Police Department with all information provided regarding the missing student so that an investigation can be initiated. This is required by Federal Law.
    2. Provide the Campus Police with the names and contact information of any people designated as a “missing person contact”
    3. Campus Police will make contact with the designated emergency contact.

    On-campus residents should follow the instructions below if they suspect another student is missing:

    On-campus residents should contact their resident assistant, hall director, or the Campus Police Department if they suspect another resident is missing. Upon receiving a report of a missing resident, the Residence Hall staff members will ensure Campus Police Department is provided all the information needed to initiate an investigation.

  • The RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) System is a comprehensive rape defense course for women that teaches awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance, and the basics of hands-on defense training. RAD is NOT a martial arts program. The course is taught by certified RAD instructors and provides the attendees with a workbook/reference manual. This manual outlines the entire Physical Defense Program for reference and continuous personal growth. The RAD System of Physical Defense is currently taught at many colleges and universities. The widespread acceptance of this system is due to the ease, simplicity and effectiveness of the tactics, solid research, legal defensibility and unique teaching methodology. The RAD System was created to teach women defensive concepts and techniques against various types of assault by utilizing easy, effective and proven self-defense/martial arts tactics. The system of realistic defense will provide a woman with the knowledge to make an educated decision about resistance.
  • RAD operates on the premise (supported by research) that a spontaneous violent attack will stimulate a natural desire to resist on the part of the victim. RAD educates women about the “flight or fight syndrome” while showing them that enhancing their option of physical defense is not only prudent, but a necessity if natural resistance is to be effective. Safety and survival in today’s world requires a definite course of action. RAD provides effective options by teaching women to take an active role in their own self-defense and psychological well-being.
  • Rape Aggression Defense System programs are being offered by the TC Department of Public Safety. The RAD program was developed for and is offered to women only; ages 13 years old and up.
  • The Federal Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, enacted on October 28, 2000, went into effect October 28, 2002. The law requires institutions of higher education to issue a statement advising the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by a State may be obtained concerning registered sex offenders. It also requires sex offenders already required to register in a State to provide notice, as required under State law, of each institution of higher education in that State at which the person is employed, carries on a vocation, or is a student. This act amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to clarify that nothing in that Act may be construed to prohibit an educational institution from disclosing information provided to the institution concerning registered sex offenders and requires the Secretary of Education to take appropriate steps to notify educational institutions that disclosure of this information is permitted. State law requires persons convicted of or placed on deferred community supervision for certain offenses to register as sex offenders. Offenders who committed “sexually violent” offenses (most contact offenses) must register for the remainder of their life, even after completing probation or parole.
  • Others (some noncontact offenses) may quit registering ten years after completing their term of supervision. Law enforcement authorities are required to inform the College when registered sex offenders indicate they are living, working, or volunteering services on campus.
  • You can access the sex offender registration files free of charge through the Texas Department of Public Safety web page at www.txdps.state.tx.us.

Members of the Texarkana College community, guests and visitors have the right to be free from sexual violence. All members of the campus community are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others. The College believes in a zero tolerance policy for gender-based misconduct. When an allegation of misconduct is brought to an appropriate administration’s attention, and a respondent is found to have violated this policy, serious sanctions will be used to reasonably ensure that such actions are never repeated. This policy has been developed to reaffirm these principles and to provide recourse for those individuals whose rights have been violated. This policy is intended to define community expectations and to establish a mechanism for determining when those expectations have been violated.

The college reserves the right to take whatever measures it deems necessary in response to an allegation of sexual misconduct in order to protect students’ rights and personal safety. Such measures include, but are not limited to, modification of living arrangements, interim suspension from campus pending a hearing, and reporting the matter to the local police. Not all forms of sexual misconduct will be deemed to be equally serious offenses, and the college reserves the right to impose different sanctions, ranging from verbal warning to expulsion, depending on the severity of the offense. The college will consider the concerns and rights of both the complainant and the person accused of sexual misconduct.

Sexual Misconduct Offenses

Sexual misconduct offenses include, but are not limited to:

  1. Sexual Harassment
  2. Non-Consensual Sexual Contact (or attempts to commit same)
  3. Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse (or attempts to commit same)
  4. Sexual Exploitation

1. Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment is unwelcome, gender-based verbal or physical conduct that is, sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it, has the effect of unreasonably interfering with, denying or limiting someone’s ability to participate in or benefit from the college’s educational program and/or activities, and is based on power differentials (quid pro quo), the creation of a hostile environment, or retaliation. Examples include: an attempt to coerce an unwilling person into a sexual relationship; to repeatedly subject a person to egregious, unwelcome sexual attention; to punish a refusal to comply with a sexual based request; to condition a benefit on submitting to sexual advances; sexual violence; intimate partner violence, stalking; gender-based bullying.

2. Non-Consensual Sexual Contact
Non-Consensual Sexual Contact is any intentional sexual touching, however slight, with any object, by a man or a woman upon a man or a woman, which is without consent and/or by force. Sexual Contact includes: intentional contact with the breasts, buttock, groin, or genitals, or touching another with any of these body parts, or making another touch you or themselves with or on any of these body parts; any intentional bodily contact in a sexual manner, though not involving contact with/of/by breasts, buttocks, groin, genitals, mouth or other orifice.

3. Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse
Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse is any sexual intercourse however slight, with any object, by a man or woman upon a man or a woman, which is without consent and/or by force. Intercourse includes: vaginal penetration by a penis, object, tongue or finger; anal penetration by a penis, object, tongue, or finger; and oral copulation (mouth to genital contact or genital to mouth contact), no matter how slight the penetration or contact.

4. Sexual Exploitation
Occurs when a student takes non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of another for his/her own advantage or benefit, or to benefit or advantage anyone other than the one being exploited, and that behavior does not otherwise constitute one of other sexual misconduct offenses. Examples of sexual exploitation include, but are not limited to: invasion of sexual privacy; prostituting another student; non-consensual video or audio-taping of sexual activity; going beyond the boundaries of consent (such as letting your friends hide in the closet to watch you having consensual sex); engaging in voyeurism; knowingly transmitting an STI or HIV to another student; exposing one’s genitals in non-consensual circumstances; inducing another to expose their genitals; sexually-based stalking and/or bullying may also be forms of sexual exploitation

Additional Applicable Definitions

1. Consent
Consent is clear, knowing and voluntary. Consent is active, not passive. Silence, in and of itself, cannot be interpreted as consent. Consent can be given by words or actions, as long as those words or actions create mutually understandable clear permission regarding willingness to engage in (and the conditions of) sexual activity.

  • Consent to any one form of sexual activity cannot automatically imply consent to any other forms of sexual activity.
  • Previous relationships or prior consent cannot imply consent to future sexual acts.
  • In order to give effective consent, one must be of legal age.

2. Force
Force is the use of physical violence and/or imposing on someone physically to gain sexual access. Force also includes threats, intimidation (implied threats) and coercion that overcome resistance or produce consent (“Have sex with me or I’ll hit you. Okay, don’t hit me, I’ll do what you want.”).

3. Coercion
Coercion is unreasonable pressure for sexual activity. Coercive behavior differs from seductive behavior based on the type of pressure someone uses to get consent from another. When someone makes clear to you that they do not want sex, that they want to stop, or that they do not want to go past a certain point of sexual interaction, continued pressure beyond that point can be coercive.

4. Incapacitation
Incapacitation is a state where someone cannot make rational, reasonable decisions because they lack the capacity to give knowing consent (e.g., to understand the “who, what, when, where, why or how” of their sexual interaction).

  • Sexual activity with someone who one should know to be — or based on the circumstances should reasonably have known to be — mentally or physically incapacitated (by alcohol or other drug use, unconsciousness or blackout), constitutes a violation of this policy.
  • This policy also covers a person whose incapacity results from mental disability, sleep, involuntary physical restraint, or from the taking of rape drugs. Possession, use and/or distribution of any of these substances, including Rohypnol, Ketamine, GHB, Burundanga, etc. is prohibited, and administering one of these drugs to another student is a violation of this policy. More information on these drugs can be found at http://www.911rape.org/
  • Use of alcohol or other drugs will never function as a defense to a violation of this policy.

NOTE: There is no requirement that a party resists the sexual advance or request, but resistance is a clear demonstration of non-consent. The presence of force is not demonstrated by the absence of resistance. Sexual activity that is forced is by definition non consensual, but non-consensual sexual activity is not by definition forced.

Sanction Statement

  1. Any student found responsible for violating the policy on Non-Consensual or Forced Sexual Contact (where no intercourse has occurred) will likely receive a sanction ranging from probation to expulsion, depending on the severity of the incident, and taking into account any previous campus conduct code violations.
  2. Any student found responsible for violating the policy on Non-Consensual or Forced Sexual Intercourse will likely face a recommended sanction of suspension or expulsion.
  3. Any student found responsible for violating the policy on sexual exploitation or sexual harassment will likely receive a recommended sanction ranging from warning to expulsion, depending on the severity of the incident, and taking into account any previous campus conduct code violations.

Reporting Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

For more information please see the Student Welfare – Freedom from Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation policy.

Links to Title IX training and information

Contact Phyllis Deese, Vice President of Administrative Services, who serves as the Title IX Coordinator for Texarkana College at human.resources@texarkanacollege.edu or call 903-823-3355.

Get in touch

Let us know what’s happening with forms and surveys below.

  • Required if you wish to be contacted by phone.
  • Required if you wish to be contacted by email.
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • :
  • SECTION 1 Sexual Assault:

    If a sex offense, either forcible or non-forcible, has been reported to you, which allegedly occurred on campus, please provide the following information.
  • SECTION 2 Crime:

    Crimes include a murder, non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, liquor violations and/or illegal weapons possessions. If you are aware of the occurrence of any such crimes, please provide the following information.
  • Use this electronic form to report all types of Sexual Misconduct as defined in FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND RETALIATION SEX AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE policy for students or employees.

    For definitions of misconduct see Types of Misconduct in the TC Student Handbook and Catalog.

    As a concerned individual, you have the right to file a report online anonymously or to include your name and contact information.

    This method of reporting is not for emergencies or crimes in progress. Always dial 911 or (903) 798-3330 to report incidents occurring in real time.

    This form will not generate a police report. To file a police report, contact the TC Police at (903) 798-3330.

  • :
  • Include address if known
  • if known
  • If unknown, provide identifiable descriptors (such as gender, height, race, clothing, etc.) to assist in identifying involved parties.
  • Be clear as to what you witnessed and what information you received second-hand.
  • Optional Contact Information

    Your contact information is only required if you would like to be contacted about this report. Provide your name, phone number and email only if you are open to being contacted regarding the information you have shared.
  • If you prefer to report directly, or in person, please contact Human Resources Director, 2500 N. Robison Rd., Texarkana, TX, 75599, (903) 823-3017, human.resources@texarkanacollege.edu.

    For additional information please see our FREEDOM FROM DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND RETALIATION SEX AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE policy for students or employees

  • Required if you would like to be contacted by phone.
  • Required if you would like to be contacted by email.
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • Please be as descriptive as possible. Include details of item lost such as: brand name, model, serial number, size, color, material (leather, plastic, fabric, metal, etc.), special features, tags or labels, etc.
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Parking

  • Parking permit
  • Call 903-823-3330 to make arrangements for parking tickets
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Officer Biographies

Officer Charles (Chuck) Green started at the Texarkana, Texas Police Department in September, 1985. After graduating from the police academy he was assigned to narcotics and received his training in this field from the Drug Enforcement Agency. After a year in narcotics, he went to Patrol Division where he was appointed as a Field Training Officer. In July 1998 he was promoted to Sergeant and served at that rank until his retirement in October, 2007. During his tenure at Texarkana, Texas Police Department he served in several areas; Narcotics, Patrol, Property, IT, and Narcotics again as a supervisor. He received his Master Certification as a Peace Officer while employed with Texarkana, Texas Police Department.

Officer Vick Thornburg began his law enforcement career in 1990 as a patrol officer for a local police agency. Thornburg worked for the agency a total of 12.5 years. Thornburg received extensive training in patrol procedures, property management, case preparation and presentation, as well as working in various segments of law enforcement. Thornburg has worked for the Bowie County Sheriff Office, for a total of 10 years, starting as a patrol deputy. He remained in the patrol division for a total of 4 years before taking a lateral transfer to the Criminal Investigation Division. While in the CID, he received in-depth training in basic criminal investigations to homicide and equivocal death investigation. Thornburg promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Investigator where he remained until his resignation.

During his tenure in law enforcement, Thornburg spent 10 years as a S.W.A.T. officer and 8 years as a field training officer. He has received his Master Certification as a Peace Officer.

Thornburg is married to Temple Jeanette Thornburg and has a son, Corey Thornburg, and a daughter, Hannah Thornburg.

Emergency Contacts

  • Bowie County Health Clinic – (903) 798-3250
  • Wadley Regional Medical Center – (903) 798-8000
  • Christus St. Michael Hospital – (903) 614-1000
  • Healthcore – 1-800-4-INTAKE
  • Healthcore Crisis Line – 1-800-832-1009
  • T-Line (City Bus Transportation) – (903) 794-8883
  • POP-A-LOCK – (903) 792-4689
  • Poison Control Center – 1-800-222-1222
  • Domestic Violence Prevention Inc – (903) 794-4000
  • Rape Crisis Center – (903) 793-4357
  • Abuse Hotline – 1-800-876-4808
  • Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Texarkana College Dept. of Public Safety – (903) 798-3330
  • Texarkana College – (903) 823-3456
  • Texarkana Texas Police Department – (903) 798-3116
  • Crime Stoppers – (903) 793-STOP (7867)
  • Bowie County Sheriff’s Office – (903) 798-3149
  • Texarkana Arkansas Police Department – (903) 798-3130
  • Miller County Sheriff’s Office – (870) 774-3001
  • Texas Department of Public Safety – (903) 792-5835
  • Animal Control – (903) 798-3263