Reed College Fires Safety Director After FBI Data Disclosure

Reed College has dismissed its longtime Director of Community Safety, Gary Granger, after he shared an alumnus’s address and phone number with FBI agents without a warrant or subpoena, according to Campus Safety Magazine. The disclosure became public over the summer and led to the alumnus’s arrest following a protest at Portland’s ICE facility on June 14. Reed confirmed the information exchange in July, sparking immediate backlash from students and alumni.

Subsequent reporting by OPB and others documented community anger and an internal investigation into the disclosure. More recent coverage shows the college has now terminated Granger, with outlets publishing details from a separation letter that cited reputational harm and failure to follow protocol, though Reed has not released the letter itself.

The case has highlighted tensions between campus privacy rules and law-enforcement requests. While FERPA protects education records, institutions often maintain alumni directories and contact databases that fall outside strict FERPA definitions but still carry policy and consent obligations. Reed’s 2024 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report describes internal procedures for handling incidents and external notifications, procedures now under renewed scrutiny.

Campus Safety reports that the controversy has also reignited debate over campus adoption of surveillance technologies such as facial recognition. Colleges across the United States have weighed new security tools against longstanding privacy expectations, with some municipalities moving to restrict police use of biometric technologies. Earlier this year, New Orleans paused expansion of police facial recognition, while ID Tech has examined how campuses establish governance frameworks for biometric deployments.

The timeline surrounding the Reed incident shows the disclosure first came to light when KGW reported in July that Granger had shared the alumnus’s details with federal agents. OPB and Campus Safety documented the internal review in early August, and in late September, the Daily Caller and Campus Safety confirmed that Granger had been dismissed.

The dismissal underscores the importance of clear policies for responding to law-enforcement requests, particularly in higher education settings where privacy rules intersect with public safety responsibilities. It also reflects growing scrutiny of how universities manage data flows, whether through traditional records, alumni systems, or newer biometric tools.

Sources: Campus Safety Magazine, OPB, Reed College, KGW, Daily Caller

–

By Cass Kennedy