DPS: Penn Police would be prepared for similar incident

In the wake of shootings on the Virginia Tech campus, Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush called for better communication and improved student preparedness as the best way to ensure safety if a similar incident were to occur on campus.

Thirty-two people were killed before an unidentified gunman took his own life yesterday at the rural Virginia campus in the worst mass shooting in United States history.

And while no comparable tragedy has ever occurred at Penn, "If, God forbid, the circumstances at Virginia Tech had happened here, we would have been prepared to have a response," Rush said.

Rush explained that Penn Police officers regularly receive emergency-response training and completed an exercise last month that simulated the type of attack seen at Virginia Tech yesterday.

Still, the University is constantly working on ways to help guarantee that such a response would be as effective as possible.

For example, there is currently no way to alert the entire University of an emergency through a campuswide e-mail, so DPS relies on various listservs and Web sites to provide such notification.

But Rush said DPS is looking into new technologies, like cell-phone alerts, and is working with Information Systems and Computing to develop more effective means of relaying information.

"My biggest concern everyday is communication," she said. "It is just so hard in a large campus setting to communicate."

Still, in the event that this type of episode - officially termed an "active-shooter incident" - were to occur, police would flood the area with officers to "eliminate the possibility of people walking the streets."

A "Crisis Management Team" - made up of the University President, Provost and Executive Vice President - would also immediately meet with Rush to assess the situation and decided whether to close down the University.

"My guess is that we would stop life as we know it as a campus," Rush said.

University officials can also lock down all buildings on campus "in a touch of a button," she said.

But she stressed that no matter how prepared police are in crisis situations, it is just as important for students and staff to have the appropriate training as well.

"Shelter-in-Place" drills occur in all residential buildings four times a year and in all academic buildings twice a year. All College Houses and most other buildings are equipped with alarms with P.A. systems and every floor of every building has a staff member trained for emergency situations.

Still, Rush said students need to take these drills more seriously.

"You respond by your gut," Rush said. "The only way you're going to do the right thing . is if you practice."

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