In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, people around the country are wondering what could have been done to prevent such senseless, unpredictable violence. The question has arisen locally as to what forms of protection UNCW has in place to safeguard against a shooter or a similar crisis. Students are inevitably asking, “Could it happen here?”

There is a statewide protocol in North Carolina known as active shooter training, and the UNCW Police adopted the program in 2005. Both the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilmington Police Department have undergone the training as well.

“It’s important to note that it’s state protocol. Everyone is trained. We’re all on the same page,” said Lt. James Watkins, university police officer and active shooter training instructor.

In the event there is an active shooter on campus, meaning a gunman has already opened fire, the goal becomes to limit casualties, Watkins said. The first two officers on the scene must, by protocol, locate, challenge and neutralize the threat. Additional officers that arrive establish a perimeter, block roads, set up staging areas and create an operational headquarters.

All of the officers, regardless of which police department they’re affiliated with, have been taught the same tactics and know exactly what to do should such a situation arise. After these initial measures have been taken, the police response will vary depending on the situation.

“It depends what is happening and where it is happening,” UNCW Police Chief David Donaldson said.

Watkins pointed out that the UNCW Police train on campus and have the benefit of knowing the layout of the buildings.

The UNCW Police have also started offering community response training for an active shooter incident. This seminar is open to all students, staff and community members. Since its inception in late 2006, more than 600 people have taken the hour-long course. Police officers teach attendees what actions to take if they are caught in an active shooter situation, such as barricading doors, turning off lights, blocking windows and silencing cell phones.

Anyone interested in taking the community response training should contact the UNCW Police Department at (910) 962-3184.

The university currently issues e-mail and voicemail alerts in the event of an emergency in addition to publishing the information on its Web site.

“Once we’re alerted, we get the information out quickly,” Vice Chancellor Patricia Leonard said.

A few additions are planned to alert students and faculty in the near future. By next fall, the university plans to have a loud warning siren placed on campus, Leonard said. The siren will sound if there is danger of any kind, be it a shooter or a tornado, and students and staff will be taught exactly what to do if they hear it.

Other possibilities, none set in stone, include broadcast speakers on the more than 100 emergency call boxes on campus, a dedicated emergency AM radio station and a mass text messaging system.

“Emergency alerts need to be multi-tiered,” Donaldson said.

Many high schools nationwide practice lockdown drills, where teachers turn off the lights, lock the doors and students huddle together in a corner until the drill is over.

“I remember having a lockdown drill about once a month in high school,” UNCW student Taylor Bell said. “If there ever had really been an incident, we would have known exactly what to do.”

Lockdowns on a college campus are an unlikely solution, however. High schools have set hours of operation, only a few entrances, their buildings are close together, and there is very little traffic except for class changes. Most colleges are much larger than high schools as well. It would be nearly impossible to lockdown an entire college campus, especially in a short amount of time, Donaldson said.

The main way to prevent a school shooting remains discovering the shooter’s plan before it unfolds. An FBI study of 18 school shooting incidents found that most attacks were premeditated, and the shooters told their plans to someone else before the incident.

If you witness any suspicious activity, report it anonymously at (910) 962-TIPS, the non-emergency police line (910) 962-3184, or anonymously by e-mail through the UNCW Police Department Web site, http://www.uncw.edu/police.

School shootings are very unpredictable in nature, with no two being exactly alike. Universities across the country will be examining how to further protect their students and staff, but there is only so much police officers and administrators can do.

“Will there be a change in procedure? We just don’t know. We still don’t know everything that happened at Virginia Tech,” Donaldson said.