SF State has integrated three levels of training around campus to educate the student body and faculty on proper ways to protect themselves against an active shooter.
According to Everytown research, there have been more than 300 school shootings since 2013, which roughy averages out to about one shooting per week.
Chief of Police at SF State, Jason Wu, is at the forefront in helping implement trainings for SF State students and staff. He said that the active shooter trainings are crucial in helping instruct people on ways to protect themselves against a threat.
President Leslie E. Wong is also working closely with San Francisco State Police Department along with the EOC program and the cabinet to implement awareness on active shooters at SF State.
“Chief Wu has raised the standards of expectations for officers,” said Wong. “We’ve put more of them out of their cars and on their feet, so you see them walking around more.”
Business Administration Student Jazmin Taylor said she doesn’t feel anxious on campus with the recent shootings that have been occurring throughout the nation, but she does acknowledge the need to be aware.
“I feel the way that it’s been happening you kind of have to look out for yourself more than anyone else,” said Taylor. “I just don’t know how to protect other people other than myself.”
The active threat training consists of three tiers of training.
The most basic form of training can be received through an online video which illustrates the basic defense message being run, hide and fight. The video can be found on the University Police Department’s home page.
“When police respond to a scene, it is not to save those that are wounded. It is to actually neutralize the threat,” said Wu.
The second tier of training is an interactive presentation run by the San Francisco Police Department. The presentation allows attendees to ask questions and get more direct answers to personal questions.
The last tier of training will be an actual mock drill that will take place in the Human Resources building this coming May. According to Wu, the HR department is identified as the first potential hostility point when is comes to active shooter threats.
Although the mock drill is currently pending approval from the school, SF State Police Department hopes to run routine drills throughout SF State campus to help educate on active shooters.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the average police response times eighteen minutes. University Police Department (UPD) has a response time of less than five minutes due to its location on campus.
Professor Dan MacAlliar, who teaches criminal justice at SF State, feels strongly about tightening gun control laws in the U.S. He said that states that have banned guns have a statistically lower crime rates than most, which was statistically proven in a research published in the JAMA Internal Medicine.
The study looked at all 50 states from the year 2007-2010 and concluded that firearm fatalities are significantly lower in states with gun control laws. Macalliar stated that the only way that university campuses can truly fix the active shooter issue is by eventually banning guns completely.
“If we are talking about what the college can do, I don’t know what the college can do,” said MacAlliar. “The university has to do what it has to do but until we eliminate the weapon there is only so much you can do.”
Education Studies Kate Rinkenberger finds future gun policy laws very important, especially because she hopes to be a teacher one day. She disagrees completely with the idea of arming school faculty and said that it will only teach students to live in fear.
“I think for now there should be more security on school,” said Rinkenberger. “There should be on campus officers and I think there should be protocols in place for students exhibiting this behavior of isolation and aggression, stuff like that. There needs to be more steps in place for reporting strange behavior.”
