NIU chief shares campus shootings' lessons with Hampshire students
What did Northern Illinois University police learn from the massacre at Virginia Tech University in April 17, 2007?
The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history reinforced for NIU police what not to do, the university's police chief told about 100 students Friday afternoon at Hampshire High School.
Chief Donald Grady said he "wasn't happy" to see television footage of officers taking cover behind trees at Virginia Tech while sounds of Seung-Hui Cho shooting students crackled from inside buildings.
"We decided, way back, we don't wait for SWAT (to arrive). The first person on the scene goes in," he said. "No excuses. You go in and stop the action. What's the shooter doing while were waiting outside for SWAT? Still shooting."
Grady said the rampage at NIU by Steven Kazmierczak on Feb. 14 that killed five and wounded 16 lasted about three minutes before he killed himself.
Grady estimated he was at Cole Hall about 90 seconds after emergency calls came in. His only thought was: "Stop the action. Stop the guy from doing what he's doing."
Grady said his department in 2001 started planning for an attack and gave all 62 officers first-responder medical training. Now, the department even employs officers who pose as students, but are armed and trained like air marshals that ride on commercial jets.
Grady spoke at Hampshire High as part of a project by seniors Karleen Hergert and Brittney Snowwhite. Students in their Advanced Placement English class were required to research a social problem, find solutions and invite a speaker to the high school.
"I've learned so much about life from this project," Herbert said. "We're graduating, looking for colleges. It could happen at any college we pick."
Grady's presentation was blunt, to the point and occasionally humorous. But its core message - that police cannot prevent shootings and students must be prepared in case of an attack - was firm: run if you can, hide if you are able, or fight back if you must - with any means possible.
Teacher Dirk Campbell expected Grady to give a detailed account of the Feb. 14 tragedy. Instead, Campbell was pleasantly surprised.
"It was a good spin, good angle to impress that were all responsible for ourselves and helping each other," he said. "That's that big thing coming out, we all can help."