Virginia Tech On Lockdown, Richland's Response

Virginia Tech, the site of deadliest mass shooting in US history, was put on lockdown again early on Thurs., Aug. 4, 2011, when three youths attending a summer camp reported seeing a man on campus holding what may have been a handgun.

The University issued an alert on its website saying that the gunman was reported near Dietrick Dining Hall. Students and faculty were told to remain inside, behind locked doors until further notice. After the sighting was deemed credible, campus police searched the area, but were yet unable to find a gunman matching the three witnesses' description.

The April 2007 massacre that killed 32 people and wounded 25 others has caused the University to exercise significant caution. Although Richland College has never faced this kind of danger or gone into lockdown, the campus police department has developed several safety procedures in case an armed situation arises.

"We train in this very extensively," said Robert Baker, Richland Chief of Police. "We have a rapid response team [that] go to any possible shooting and put themselves between the shooter and our staff, students and faculty."

According to Baker, campus police must first determine if the sighting or threat is credible before going into lockdown. The campus receives alerts through different channels, including, but not limited to, text messages, sirens, PA systems and fire alarms that have PA override options.      

The campus police department has the ability to break into any campus telephone call to alert people of possible danger. Occasional lockdown drills are also being conducted to prepare students and faculty in the event of an intruder alert.

Richland has incident commanders who take charge of the campus and ensure that campus police officers fulfill their duty of keeping students and faculty safe.

"The most important thing to do is to follow the officers' directions," Baker said. "If we ever go into a lockdown, get as many doors between you and the possible suspect and stay in place until the coast is clear."