UCLA Releases Analysis of Security Following On-Campus Shooting

UCLA Releases Analysis of Security Following On-Campus Shooting

The University of California at Los Angeles has released a report on security recommendations following an on-campus shooting in June.

The campus’ security was called into question after students were unable to lock themselves into classrooms to complete the lockdown procedure. Many created makeshift barricades with furniture to keep the suspected gunman out of their classroom.

Later, the news broke that a former doctoral student stormed the office of engineering professor William Klug and shot him before killing himself. The students at the other buildings on campus were not in any danger, but that didn’t keep the school from staying in lockdown for several hours as police swarmed the campus, clearing the building in which the shots were heard.

Since that day, school officials have been analyzing the experiences of that day, trying to figure out how to better handle emergencies.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the school released a report that outlines the steps it will take to improve its emergency response and attempt to prevent future crisis.

The measures include better training in emergency procedures as many on campus reported that they had no idea what to do in the event of a lockdown. The school has also planned to add locks to classroom doors, use faster emergency communication software to send out more frequent alerts and will help staff and faculty learn to identify emotional distress.

The report, put together by a task force, was the result of a detailed investigation into the events that unfolded the day of the shooting. At 9:38 a.m. that morning, campus police got a call that two shots had been fired in the engineering building. At 9:49 a.m. UCLA used its messaging system to alert students. The alert read: “Police Activity vic Engineering Building 4. Avoid area until further notice.”

At 9:53 a.m. a second alert was sent out to indicate there was a shooting in the building, it asked students, staff and faculty to go into lockdown mode.

At 10:01 a.m. police discovered two bodies in the building.

It took at least four minutes and 22 seconds for the UCLA email alerts to be delivered and five minutes and 44 seconds for the text message alerts to be sent out. Students also had to wait even longer for additional information, as the first alert did not specify what was happening. It was over an hour before the second and third alert was sent out.

In addition to implementing the new emergency communication system, UCLA officials are also looking for ways to add more students to the database, as some said they were out of the alert loop because they didn’t have a cellphone or a UCLA email address.

The task force looked for other areas of improvement as well, such as the locks on classroom doors. A lot of classrooms had automated locks because of fire codes and the concern that manual locks could allow a predator to lock a victim inside.

Over the summer, UCLA fixed the issue for about 200 rooms. Now, the doors can be locked from inside, and administrators or law enforcement can use electronic fobs to open or close them from the outside.

While the report outlined several recommendations and procedures that have already been put in place, it also made a point of saying the security measures can only go so far because, ““we cannot wall ourselves off from every conceivable danger.”


Featured

  • Security Today Announces The Govies Government Security Award Winners for 2025

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 winners in The Govies Government Security Awards. The awards honor outstanding government security products in a variety of categories. Read Now

  • Survey: 60 Percent of Organizations Using AI in IT Infrastructure

    Netwrix, a cybersecurity provider focused on data and identity threats, today announced the release of its annual global 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report based on a global survey of 2,150 IT and security professionals from 121 countries. It reveals that 60% of organizations are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in their IT infrastructure and 30% are considering implementing AI. Read Now

  • New Research Reveals Global Video Surveillance Industry Perspectives on AI

    Axis Communications, the global industry leader in video surveillance, has released its latest research report, ‘The State of AI in Video Surveillance,’ which explores global industry perspectives on the use of AI in the security industry and beyond. The report reveals current attitudes on AI technologies thanks to in-depth interviews with AI experts from Axis’ global network and a comprehensive survey of more than 5,800 respondents, including distributors, channel partners, and end customers across 68 countries. The resulting insights cover AI integration and the opportunities and challenges that exist with regard to security, safety, business intelligence, and operational efficiency. Read Now

  • SIA Urges Tariff Relief for Security Industry Products

    Today, the Security Industry Association has sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick requesting relief from tariffs for security industry products and asking that the Trump administration formulate a process that allows companies to apply for product-specific exemptions. The security industry is an important segment of the U.S. economy, contributing over $430 billion in total economic impact and supporting over 2.1 million jobs. Read Now

  • Report Shows Cybercriminals Continue Pivot to Stealthier Tactics

    IBM recently released the 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index highlighting that cybercriminals continued to pivot to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises declined. IBM X-Force observed an 84% increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the prior year, a method threat actors relied heavily on to scale identity attacks. Read Now

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.