Industry Focus

Random Campus Tragedies are Painful

An active shooter on campus has no rhyme or reason. When something stupid like this happens, everyone’s first question is: Why? Followed by: What was the motive?

I say there is never a good reason for this kind of social misbehavior.

Last month, an active shooter incident occurred at North Lake College in Irving, Texas. We know this is not the first time an event like this has happened on a college campus—probably not the last. A little too late, but the Dallas County Community College District will now beef up security.

Janeera Nickol Gonzalez was gunned down while attending classes on May 3. It was later reported that the gunman had been stalking her for quite a while. She didn’t make anything of it, thinking the stalker was harmless.

Sadly, this was not true. Her parents, Lucia and Juan Gonzalez were concerned when their daughter failed to return text messages, especially after local news reported a shooting at the college she attended. Someone other than Janeera knew this was happening, and it would seem, didn’t heed all the warning signs.

Some people on campus saw the entire murder-suicide scene unfold. Witnesses say that the gunman, Adrian Victor Torres, walked up to Janeera and yelled, “You know who I am and you know why I’m here.” He shot her three times.

It is difficult, at best, to secure the open environment of a higher education campus. For all the protection that the University of Texas at Austin provides its students, staff and employees, a man wielding a hunting knife was no match for any security system the first week in May.

Harrison Brown, a freshman from Graham, Texas, was in the right place, attending school at UT, but at the wrong time when Kendrix J. White randomly stabbed him and several other students as he “calmly walked around campus.” UT Austin Police Chief David Carter said that the suspect may have been “suffering from mental health issues,” and had recently been involuntarily committed and later released in another city. Security is such a necessary component to our daily lives. Harrison’s last thoughts were of his mother, asking that he be able to speak to her before he died.

“His family and our community will never be able to hear Harrison play [music] and sing again and, for this, our hearts are breaking and we are deeply, deeply saddened,” said university president Gregory L. Fenves.“It was an incredibly difficult time for them—unimaginable,” he said. “Mrs. Brown talked about her son Harrison and how much he loved being a Longhorn in his first year here.”

I honestly don’t know what the answer to this puzzle might be. However, I am certain that proper security procedures on campus, and off, have likely saved untold number of people the pain and anguish that follows when someone with mental health issues has a weapon of choice in their possession.

It is incumbent upon lawmakers and campus officials to go beyond the pale of finding ways and means to secure every corner of the campus. While cost is a factor, students’ safety is the goal.

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Cloud Adoption Gives Way to Hybrid Deployments

    Cloud adoption is growing at an astonishing rate, with Gartner forecasting that worldwide public cloud end-user spending will approach $600 billion by the end of this year—an increase of more than 21% over 2022. McKinsey believes that number could eclipse $1 trillion by the end of the decade, further underscoring the industry’s exponential growth. Read Now

  • AI on the Edge

    Discussions about the merits (or misgivings) around AI (artificial intelligence) are everywhere. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find an article or product literature without mention of it in our industry. If you’re not using AI by now in some capacity, congratulations may be in order since most people are using it in some form daily even without realizing it. Read Now

  • Securing the Future

    In an increasingly turbulent world, chief security officers (CSOs) are facing a multitude of challenges that threaten the stability of businesses worldwide. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Security Entrances Move to Center Stage

    Most organizations want to show a friendly face to the public. In today’s world, however, the need to keep people safe and secure has become a prime directive when designing and building facilities of all kinds. Fortunately, there is no need to construct a fortress-like entry that provides that high level of security. Today’s secured entry solutions make it possible to create a welcoming, attractive look and feel at the entry without compromising security. It is for this reason that security entrances have moved to the mainstream. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area. 3

  • 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. 3