Tap and Go security system permanent

Tap and Go, Emerson’s 24/7 security card access system, will be permanently implemented this fall, requiring all students and employees to tap their College identification cards to gain access to all College facilities and sign in visitors, according to an announcement today from Chief Bob Smith of the Emerson College Police Department.

In an email to all Emerson students, faculty, and staff, Smith wrote:

Starting this fall, the College will permanently implement the Tap and Go Security Program, the 24/7 card access system that was piloted last spring as part of Emerson’s ongoing commitment to provide the safest possible environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests.

Following the month-long pilot, the Emerson College Police Department (ECPD) conducted a campus-wide online survey. The feedback from the survey was highly positive, with the majority of respondents concurring that the program is easy to comply with.

Additionally, ECPD compared data from the last four years during the same time period that the pilot program was implemented and found that there was a decrease in the number of criminal activities on campus, including thefts.

Following are some reminders about the program:

Tap and Go Tip

To ensure that there are minimal to no delays, we strongly encourage community members to have their ID cards in hand and ready to tap in before approaching the security desks in the lobbies of our buildings.

Registering Guests

For student residence hall guests, the student host must meet his/her guest at the Securitas Desk, tap his/her Emerson ID, and have the guest show the Securitas officer a photo ID. Then the student host and his/her guest can proceed to the Residence Hall Desk where they follow the normal guest registration procedures.

A student host wishing to sign a guest into an academic or administrative building will be required to sign in guests at the Securitas Desk. 

Staff and faculty will be able to register guests in advance by logging into iVisitor Guest Registration, where users can fill in the guest’s name, the host’s name, building, and date and time of the visit.

Free Replacement Cards

For a limited time, Emerson community members who have lost or misplaced their ID cards can obtain a FREE replacement card during the following dates/times: Thursday, August 28–Friday, August 29, 9:00 am–7:00 pm and Tuesday, September 2–Friday, September 5, 9:00 am–7:00 pm. The replacement cards will be available at the Emerson College Police Department, Suite 121, located at 211 Tremont Street (Tremont Street entrance to the Little Building).

In addition to the permanent implementation of the Tap and Go program, the College will also be upgrading its security camera program over the next several months.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at robert_smith@emerson.edu.

Sincerely,

Chief Bob Smith

Emerson College Police Department