There were 32 people killed during the Virginia Tech active shooter incident in 2007. A recent study shows that since then 122 people have died or were injured in college campus shootings. With college shootings on the rise, it's critical to develop and implement a proactive plan versus reacting to incidents once they happen.
Schools often plan and practice for events that they deem more probable such as fires, health-related incidents, and natural disasters. However, they don't rehearse what to do in active shooter incidents. School administrators present arguments that it's highly unlikely that a shooting or bombing event would happen on campus. However, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook school administrators and security probably thought the same thing.
Create a Proactive Security Plan and Train Your Staff
Regular training and role-playing exercises are vital to ensure your campus is as safe as possible in the event of an active shooter. The more your staff trains, the faster they'll react during violent events and in these incidents, mere seconds matter.
Unfortunately, many of the Sandy Hook victims were in the hallway and unlocked classrooms. The survivors were the ones that hid in locked rooms. Implement a lockdown plan as soon as possible. Immediately locking down the school, including classroom doors and all campus buildings, will result in fewer casualties in the end.
Integrate Technology with Your Campus Security Plan
Integrating technology with your safety plan improves your ability to manage these types of events. Access control allows the security system to automatically lock down buildings preventing a shooter from even entering the building. It's easy to install and very cost-efficient.
Past incidents have proved access control systems diminish perimeter breaching. If there is a breach, a robust surveillance network acts as an additional security layer.
Gunshot detection analytics is another security system that detects gunfire and immediately notifies local and campus law enforcement about the location of the incident. Gunshot detection systems can even lock doors in the area and activate video surveillance.
Planning and preparation are vital in active shooter incidents. Training and educating your staff can minimize the impact these violent incidents have on the community.
About iS3 Tech Services
iS3 Tech Services is a full-service security deployment provider that services clients throughout the southern United States. Our mission is to help our clients mitigate risks, minimize disruption, reduce costs, and ultimately protect their technology investments. To discuss your electronic security project, call us today at 404-487-6009.