Illinois should take lead in campus safety

Everyone agrees colleges and universities need procedures in place to alert students and faculty to threats on campus. But, as Daily Herald projects and political writer Joseph Ryan reported Sunday, schools across Illinois are not uniform in how they do this.

Since the Virginia Tech shootings of almost a year ago, universities and colleges in Illinois and across the country have looked for ways to bolster security and put alert systems in place. All but five of the 27 Illinois colleges and universities surveyed by the Daily Herald either have or are getting blast voice mail or text messaging systems.

But only two currently have a universal public address system that would broadcast emergency messages both inside buildings and dorms and outside on the campus. That's not enough. With the Feb. 14 Northern Illinois University shootings fresh in our minds, we believe all our schools should look seriously at putting universal public address systems in place.

Text and voice mail alert systems are good, but we agree with some experts who say they may not reach everyone in time to get them to safety in a crisis situation.

A report in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, when 32 people were killed, concludes "it is critical to alert the entire campus population when there is an imminent danger." It recommended a combination of voice mail, text, e-mail and Web site alerts, but it also said a public address notification system is one of the most effective because it instantly reaches the greatest number of people.

"It can give a quick warning that something is afoot," the report reads. "One can hear such alarms regardless of whether electronics are carried, whether the electronics are turned off."

"There are a lot of different options out there and we are in the process of seeing what they cost," said Jeff Christensen, police chief at the University of Illinois. "We realize that you can't count on one single tool."

It's true a universal P.A. system is among the most expensive options when looking at alert systems. And that needs to be taken into account. And not all violent acts will be prevented by such a system -- indeed the NIU shootings, which were contained in one classroom, likely would not have been avoided with a P.A. system.

But do we want to wonder if a universal P.A. system could have avoided a future tragedy? Do our students and faculty deserve to know that all is being done to protect them? Could priorities be shifted at these schools to provide for security first? Could the state or federal governments provide grants for these systems?

In a state that has now been touched by this kind of violence, Illinois should be a leader in making sure safety is paramount on campus.