Campus Violence Prevention and Response: Best Practices for Massachusetts Higher Education Prepared by Applied Risk Mana

1. Campus Violence Prevention and Response: Best Practices for Massachusetts Higher Education Prepared by Applied Risk Management

2. Introduction Applied Risk Management Department of Higher Education, Campus Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force Consulting Team: • Security Experts from ARM • Criminologists / Academics • Law Enforcement / Violence Prevention

3. Process What information did we use? • National and local crime statistics • National and local best practices • Surveys • Dr. Fox’s & other research

4. 20 Reports

5. Nature and Scope of the Problem

6. Nature and Scope of the Problem Violent Crime – criminal homicide, sexual offenses and aggravated assault Campus environment – free and open

7. Nature and Scope of the Problem Serious Violence is remarkably low Tragedy of VA Tech has fixed our gaze • Severe and long-lasting consequences Contagion

8. National and Local Best Practices

9. National Best Practices 20 previous reports ERP – plans and exercises Mass Notification – systems and training Threat Assessment Teams FERPA and HIPAA

10. National Best Practices 20 previous reports MOU with local agencies Train community to recognize threats Conduct risk assessments Interoperable communications NIMS Training

11. MA Public Colleges & Universities 5 Campus Visits Free training from State Police and FBI Comprehensive Mass Notification Detailed Risk Assessment Advanced equipment Threat Assessment Teams Extensive CCTV deployment

12. Existing Conditions:133 Question Survey

13. The Nature of the Problem 90% of schools surveyed reported an increase of students with severe psychiatric problems in recent years

15. The Good 100% of schools have ERP 100% of schools have a mass notification system 83% have on-campus mental health services

16. Not so good 65% have Threat Assessment Teams 52% have conducted active shooter training 54% do not have CCTV 50% non-interoperable communications equipment

17. Bad 88% have not conducted vulnerability assessments 81% of schools do not submit violent writings to experts for review 70% do not train faculty, staff and students on how to recognize signs of risk and violence 66% of campuses do not have armed police 65% do not have trained trauma response teams

18. Recommendations

19. Recommendations 27 Recommendations • National best practices • Research • ARM Survey

20. Recommendations • Controversial • Expensive • Difficult • Debatable Self-Evident • Exterior door locks • Functioning exterior doors at dorms

21. Improving the Quality of Communications: The Campus Community as Your Eyes and Ears • Prevention • Reaction

22. Recommendations to improve communications between faculty / staff and TAT / campus police

23. Recommendation 15 Faculty and staff should receive training in identifying students at risk GOAL: increase the probability that a possibly violent individual will receive help & avert any violence Issues: Efficacy Making judgments Liability issues

24. Recommendation 3 Writings, drawings, and other forms of individual expression reflecting violent fantasy and causing a faculty member to be fearful or concerned about safety, should be evaluated contextually for any potential threat. Higher education must permit, even encourage, free and individual expression Must be mechanisms in place to get help when concerns arise

25. Example: Seung-Hui Cho Lucinda Roy: "I've been teaching for 22 years, and there've only been a couple of times when I thought that this is a really, really worrying thing. And this was one of them."

26. Recommendation 17 Faculty and staff should be informed about the appropriate protocol in the event of a crisis • Help or get out of the way? • Faculty/staff responsibility?

27. Recommendations to improve communications between students and administration

28. Recommendation 1 Campus mental health services should be clearly available and easily accessible to students Many violent individuals do not seek out help Real goal is to make it so easily accessible that we encourage help-seeking behaviors among troubled individuals

29. Recommendation 19 Graduate student applicants should be directly queried regarding any unusual academic histories, as well as criminal records and disciplinary actions

30. Assessments

31. Recommendation 20 Schools should conduct vulnerability assessments and update the assessment annually

32. Recommendation 24 & 25 Every school should institute, train and maintain a threat assessment team The TAT should consist of representatives from various departments and agencies including student services, counseling, faculty, police, HR and legal.

33. Recommendation 6 Schools should install CCTV Cameras at strategic locations throughout their campuses

34. Response

35. Recommendation 8 Campus police should have up-to-date active shooter response plans in place and train their officers in active shooter tactics

36. Recommendation 10 Campus police should be armed and trained in the use of personal and specialized firearms including shotguns and assault rifles

37. Conclusions

38. Conclusions: Considerations • Serious violence on campus is rare but consequences are devastating • Security entails costs – fiscal and otherwise – that must be considered and weighed

39. Conclusions: Prevention Information sharing is the best prevention, but it is not enough by itself

40. Conclusions: Response & Recovery • Campus police must have appropriate tools to respond to the rare but serious events that can occur today • Campuses should prepare prevention, response and recovery plans

41. Final Conclusions • Universities present unique challenges: security versus free thought • Recommendations are designed to balance both needs • Recommendations address both serious violence and more prevalent issues • The new reality: education and law enforcement must collaborate

42. Questions 90 Maple Street Suite 3B Stoneham, MA 02180 888 365-8888 www.arm-security.com Copies of the report are now available in the lobby