The Observer, October 19, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 8
Task force improves campus security
On Wednesday, Case's Security Task Force rolled out recommendations for security enhancements through an announcement in Case Daily. The task force, which was commissioned in April after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, worked through the summer to evaluate the university's emergency procedures.
The 22-member task force met about every other week for an hour or more and tackled such issues as response, communication, prevention, and detection. Findings were generally positive: the university meets and in some cases even exceeds expectations for campus security.
"We attended a conference in Columbus," said task force member and USG president Adam Rupe, "Some schools had nothing."
However, some deficiencies were found. For example, not all classrooms on campus are lockable, which the key shop is now fixing. In addition, not all classrooms have two exits, which will be taken into consideration for future building. Third, there weren't enough people trained as SWAT officers, which has since been resolved.
Finally, Case had no effective rapid mass communication system in case of an emergency. For this reason, the university has now implemented CaseWARN (Wide Area Rapid Notification), a text and voice messaging alert system that will immediately notify subscribers if an urgent situation arises. The system has the capability to contact wired telephones, cellular and digital phones, and PDAs. Those who wish to subscribe may do so online, and a system-wide test will follow the initial signup period.
The task force also recommended an update to several emergency procedures for specific incidents, most notably an active shooter or hostile intruder. The group conducted a tabletop exercise in which they used the scenario of an armed gunman to practice problem solving and identify potential problems.
"We've made great progress, but the university is going to need to be looking at constant re-evaluation of where we stand on security preparedness," said Rupe. "They're going to need to be open about it."
USG's Student Life Committee has been separately evaluating emergency phones and lighting on campus. While the committee normally conducts a "lighting tour" each semester, it came to their attention that the emergency phone system on campus was extremely outdated. The receiving phone of the system was analog, not digital, which resulted in a busy tone if more than one emergency phone dialed simultaneously.
The receiving phone is now digital. In addition, all old yellow emergency phones are being converted to new blue phones, which check themselves for errors. The update should be completed by next year. When checking Northside, which has already been converted, "it was hard to find one down," said VP of Student Life Myles Nickolich. The system should now be much more reliable.
The lighting tour found several lights that were burned out, as well as dim areas around campus. The committee recommended that lights be added to these areas to deter potential crime.
