DePaulia
The
RUN Volume #103 | Issue #17 | Feb. 25, 2019 | depauliaonline.com
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HIDE FIGHT
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In the presence of an active shooter, your instincts may be your only line of defense. Some students and faculty say DePaul isn’t doing enough to stay safe. By Brian Pearlman, Brittney Bray, Mikel Vrooman Arroniz & Stephanie Nguyen
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Nation & World Editor & Contributing Writers
ince the mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida one year ago, schools across the country have been staging drills and training students, faculty and staff to prepare for such rare, but deadly events. Fifty-two of the nation’s mass shootings since 2000 have taken place at schools, including college campuses. And at DePaul, some are wondering if a written plan, doorstops and Powerpoint presentations are enough to prepare for an emergency or active shooter incident. In the “active shooter” section of DePaul’s emergency plan website, a familiar series of recommended actions are laid out for students and faculty to follow: run, hide, fight. This advice recommends running from the threat, if it’s safe to do so; hiding in place if a path of escape is not available; and fighting as a last resort, which involves throwing items like “chairs, fire extinguishers, coffee mugs, etc.” to incapacitate the attacker. A video on DePaul’s website produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, which is not mandatory for students or faculty to view, further illustrates this strategy. Metal doorstops are also available for faculty to use in various classrooms. In the event of an active
shooter or lockdown situation, in which the school campus is made to be one large “safe room,” the metal wedges, or locking handles, are to be inserted into metal slots in the floor and door. When in place, the door is unable to be opened from the outside. Before any of this, though, DePaul’s guidelines tell students and staff to call 9-1-1 — not the university’s own Public Safety office. That call, the website says, should be made second, perhaps because DePaul’s security staff members don’t carry guns or hold police arrest powers. DePaul’s public safety officers are not sworn, armed officers. The Public Safety Office is staffed with some 75 full-time officers along with some part-time officers, according to Public Safety Director Robert Wachowski. He says that in the event of an emergency or active shooter situation, their role is to work with local law enforcement and first responders. “Public Safety officers know the campus, the buildings, faculty and staff,” he said via email. “If there is an emergency on campus, or a crime, they work with first responders — whether CPD or the fire department or federal officers — to gain access into buildings See SAFETY, page 6