Attachment 1: Recommendations of the 2007 Campus Security Task Force
Attachment 1
Recommendations of the 2007 Campus Security Task Force
Dedicated Leadership
- Each campus should designate an individual to coordinate emergency and homeland security operations. This individual should serve as the campus point of contact with the Missouri Office of Homeland Security and the local first-responder community and should have access to alerts through the statewide notification network. This individual should report to the institution’s chief executive officer and have access to the executive staff.
- The coordinator mentioned above should also be responsible for ensuring that each institution’s senior staff is trained in and familiar with NIMS and ICS.
- The chief executive officer of each institution should ensure that an all-hazard emergency response plan is in place. The plan should be developed by an interdisciplinary team in concert with local emergency responders, and should be reviewed and rehearsed regularly. Coordinating agencies should establish mutual-aid agreements incorporating a unified command structure in accordance with NIMS/ICS. Roles and expectations should be clearly defined in advance.
State-of-the-Art Resources
- Colleges and universities should utilize failsafe systems to notify the entire campus community in the event of a crisis. Systems should use the best available technology to reach all stakeholders quickly (e.g. media alerts, public address systems, text messaging, e-mail, or sirens).
- Where practicable, colleges and universities should implement physical access control mechanisms (ranging from interior locks on classroom doors to controlled-access locks on dormitories) and policies for non-public buildings and after-hours access to public buildings.
- Surveillance cameras should be installed in areas where they will provide optimal effectiveness.
- Design of new and remodeled buildings should incorporate the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED).
- High-traffic areas of campus, indoor and outdoor, should be well lit and be within reasonable proximity of an emergency phone.
- Each institution should thoroughly evaluate the viability and appropriateness of using assessment tools (e.g. MOSAIC) designed to identify individuals with the potential for violent behavior.
- The Emergency Response Information Program (ERIP) web-based tool, offered by the Office of Homeland Security, should be used in developing emergency response plans and providing tactical response information to community first responders. Emergency plans should include policies and procedures for utilization of state-of-the-art resources.
Preparedness Culture
- All students, faculty, and staff should receive regular training on the campus emergency procedures from early recognition through response. New students should receive a detailed explanation during orientation.
- Course syllabi should include building-specific instructions for reacting during an emergency situation. Faculty members should discuss the plan on the first day of class every semester.
- Emergency plan information should be distributed in student and employee handbooks and on the institution’s website.
- Students and other members of the campus community should have access to on-campus, licensed mental health services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
- On-campus mental health providers should establish consultation and referral relationships with public and private facilities that accept civil commitments.
- Every campus should establish a multidisciplinary (academic, law enforcement, mental health) team who share and review information about members of the campus community who are perceived as exhibiting behavior that has caused concern.
- The multidisciplinary team should work collaboratively to develop intervention strategies for individuals who potentially pose a risk to themselves or others.
o Early intervention efforts should also include prevention programs to address alcohol and drug abuse and related violence.
o Prevention programs should ensure that consistent messages and interventions are delivered throughout the campus.
- In light of the reality of financial limitations, institutions of higher education should share useful safety and security programs freely. A lack of funding is not a valid justification to do nothing to enhance campus security.
Consistent Protocols
- All colleges and universities should use the Emergency Response Information Program (ERIP) web-based tool to construct their all-hazard plan. FY 2009 should be the pilot year for higher education participation, with institutions providing feedback to the higher education subgroup of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
- Campus law enforcement agencies should seek and obtain accreditation through programs offered by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), or other recognized accreditation organizations.
- As a condition of transfer, students should be required to provide waivers allowing access to disciplinary records at previously attended institutions.
Responder Support
- Colleges and universities should ensure that adequately armed, POST-certified police protection is available for its premises. Institutions not statutorily authorized to establish commissioned police departments should consider staffing arrangements with local law enforcement agencies.
- Campus and local police should receive specialized training in recognized and accepted law enforcement protocols with specific applicability to the campus environment including, but not limited to, active shooter response and crisis intervention teams.
- Emergency plans should include appropriate crisis-specific mental health responses, protocols and recovery functions including:
o Evidence-based mental health practices for responding to mental health needs of individuals directly or indirectly exposed to violence or trauma.
o Agreements involving mental health as a function of the emergency operations plan or available to incident command staff for decision making, planning, and support of responders.
Governmental Actions
- A statewide official representing postsecondary education should be appointed to the Missouri Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).
- A higher education subcommittee of Missouri’s Homeland Security Advisory Council should be formed.
- The higher education subcommittee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council should design a method for a needs analysis and fiscal impact study of campus security enhancements to be completed by postsecondary institutions.
- The higher education subcommittee of the HSAC should, in consultation with institutions, establish the amount of new resources needed to support campus security enhancements.
- The higher education subcommittee of the HSAC should identify multiple funding sources, including state appropriations, institutional reallocations, gifts, bequests, and grants, to assist in defraying the costs associated with filling gaps in campus security.
- Consideration should be given to designing a competitive grants program for distribution of funds raised. Potential initiatives eligible for funding should include projects narrowly focused on campus security and include expected results.
- The Department of Public Safety should work with the higher education subcommittee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council to identify resources and training opportunities related to safety and security for college and university personnel.
- The Department of Higher Education and the Department of Public Safety should collaborate on the identification of skill sets necessary to prepare students for careers in emergency preparedness and response. Institutions should develop or modify degree programs to meet these identified needs.
- The higher education subcommittee of the HSAC should analyze the rationales for and against allowing private postsecondary institutions to establish police departments staffed by POST-certified police officers. Based on that analysis, the subcommittee should determine whether legislation authorizing private institutions to establish police departments is necessary and appropriate.
- The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) should ensure that adequate involvement from mental health professionals is included in response and recovery efforts for all crises, including those affecting postsecondary institutions.
August 13, 2008
August 13, 2008
The most recent HES-HSAC meeting was held on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Branson, Missouri as part of the Second Annual Conference on Coordinated School and College Safety and Security.
Agenda
Minutes
Draft HES-HSAC Survey Letter.doc
MDHE
Missouri Department of Higher Education
Building Missouri’s future…by degrees
To: Presidents and Chancellors, Missouri Postsecondary Institutions
From: Robert B. Stein, Commissioner of Higher Education
Date: April 28, 2008
Subject: Follow-Up Survey on Campus Security Task Force Recommendations
It has been one-year since the shootings at the Virginia Tech campus occurred. As a result of this tragic event, Governor Matt Blunt appointed a Campus Security Task Force, which was charged with the responsibility of examining the safety and security at Missouri’s higher education institutions and to develop initiatives focused on enhancing ongoing efforts to make every college campus in Missouri a safe learning environment.
The Task Force gathered information from participating postsecondary institutions in Missouri via a survey form. The information from this survey provided the foundation of the Task Force’s final report titled: Securing Our Future: Making Colleges and Universities Safe Places to Learn and Grow. The final report listed 34 recommendations (Attachment 1), one of which was the formation of a Higher Education Subcommittee of the Missouri Homeland Security Advisory Council (HES-HSAC). The Subcommittee was formed to ensure that students, faculty, and staff are well prepared prior to, during, and after campus emergencies.
The Subcommittee is now conducting a follow-up survey (Attachment 2) on the implementation of the recommendations of the Campus Security Task Force. Please take a few minutes to complete the attached survey. The results will be used to assess the current conditions on Missouri’s collegiate campuses, to determine statewide needs for enhanced campus security, and to guide the work of the Subcommittee in identifying and fostering best practices.
Completed surveys should be sent no later than May 22, 2008 to Dr. Ken Vollmar at
Ken.Vollmar@dhe.mo.gov. If you have any questions or comments about this survey, please contact Ken at (573) 522-4172. On behalf of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Missouri Homeland Security Advisory Council, thank you for making the completion of this survey a priority.
Best,
Robert