Spring Break
Shots fired. What if it happens here?
Elizabeth Ross
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: WCC News
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Virginia Tech.
On April 10, Anthony Powell, 28, shot Asia McGowan, 20, and then turned the gun on himself in a classroom in the Grant MacKenzie Fine Arts Center building. At press time, police hadn't released a motive,
although Powell's parents have spoken to the media about how their son was mentally ill.
So what if it were to happen here? Washtenaw Community College has a similar plan for incidents occurring on campus.
"I think [the HFCC shooting] could've happened anywhere," Ron Schebil, director of safety and security at WCC, said. Schebil noted that shootings occur often, but when they happen in a public place like a college
people are more concerned because more innocent people could be hurt.
Like HFCC, WCC has an emergency alert system to send messages to students and staff via cell phone textmessage, e-mail, and voice notifications sent to phones. Schebil said that although 5,636 people are signed up to receive alerts, he'd like to see that number rise.
Schebil said that in addition to the emergency alert system, WCC also has a speaker system installed in each building. Information would go out over the speaker system "within seconds" of information being relayed via a WCC alert, Schebil said, so even those not signed up to receive alerts or who are in a building without cell phone reception would hear the information.
Another safety feature WCC employs is the ability to lock every building at once. While students and staff would be able to exit, no one would be able to get in.
"We don't need to run around with a key locking doors," Schebil said.
While WCC security officers don't carry guns, they are trained to identify a threat, protect innocent people, and help law enforcement officers when they arrive on the scene.
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