Operating In A New Era Of Campus Security

Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy

Getting the word out

One of the key findings in the reviews of what happened at Virginia Tech was that universities need to make a more exhaustive effort to spread the word about campus emergencies. Many have criticized the Virginia Tech response because campus officials, believing the assailant had left the campus, did not send out a campus-wide alert until two hours after the initial killings took place.

The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Officers (IACLEA) spells out what it believes a campus notification system should include in a “blueprint for safer campuses” that was released earlier this year.

“Institutions should have an array of means and methods to disseminate information to the campus community during emergencies,” the blueprint says. “Mass notification systems must include multiple means of sharing information, including high-technology and low-technology.”

To maximize the effectiveness of a system, campus administrators and public safety officials need to have the ability to send emergency messages whether they are on or off campus, the association says.

IACLEA adds that education institutions should make sure such systems meet these criteria:

• MULTIPOINT COMMUNICATIONS: The system should be capable of reaching its audience through multiple points of contact, such as voice messages, e-mail, and text messaging.

• CAPACITY: The system vendor should have sufficient, demonstrated capacity to deliver all messages quickly and reliably.

• CLIENT CARE: A contract with a third-party vendor should include training, customer service and technical support.

• EXPERIENCE: A vendor should have significant experience delivering calls at institutions of various sizes across the country.

• ASSESSMENT: The service should have reporting capabilities that allow the institution to monitor, manage and measure the system's effectiveness.

The association emphasizes that an alert sent out to the campus community should be timely, accurate and useful to the recipients.

Communication systems

When an emergency occurs on a campus, communication among various agencies is critical.

“Interoperable communication systems allow two or more responding agencies, even those using disparate communications systems, to exchange information directly,” IACLEA states in its blueprint for safer campuses. “With interoperability, on-scene personnel can quickly access each other to coordinate needed rescue and emergency activities.”

The North Carolina task force recommends that campuses partner with law enforcement to ensure interoperability. Illinois has created a Statewide Radio Communications for the 21st Century network (Starcom21) to provide first providers with a single interoperable communications system. The state has provided more than 300 Starcom21 radios to 70 higher education institutions, including Northern Illinois University, which used them when responding to the fatal shooting of five people on campus in February 2008.

Emergency plans should include provisions for counseling services after an incident, the North Carolina task force says. That is especially true for victims and their families. A survey by the North Carolina Department of Justice found that 81 percent of college campuses in the state had developed plans to provide counseling to students, staff and faculty after a crisis, but only 39 percent of campuses had a plan to communicate with victims and families after a crisis.

Technological help

Schools and universities are finding that technological advancements can help them carry out their emergency plans more effectively and keep campuses safer.

“Equipping campus facilities with electronic card access and key systems, and customized access privileges for students, faculty and staff is one infrastructure measure that greatly enhances the security of a campus,” the New Mexico Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety says. “Integrating all security systems into a single network will make monitoring more effective, reduce theft and vandalism and help people feel safer on campus.”

Other security equipment and strategies that schools and universities should consider, the task force says, include cameras, remote panic stations, lighting, landscaping and designation of safe areas. The most effective time to include such security is when schools are planning their facilities.

“In the post-9/11 world, the public has an expectation that colleges and universities will take reasonable steps to provide safety for campuses,” the New Mexico report says. “In order to fulfill this expectation, it is critical that security components and standards are considered as buildings are designed.”

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