MSU plans classroom door locks, other security measures after shooting

Michigan State University officials on Wednesday outlined new security measures, including the adoption of classroom door locks and extending by five hours each day when key cards need to be used to enter buildings, for its East Lansing campus after the Feb. 13 shooting that killed three students and wounded five others.

The university also plans an independent review of the security response to the shooting.

By fall, MSU plans to outfit 1,300 classrooms on campus with a lock system that will allow instructors to secure classrooms while maintaining building and fire code compliance, according to the university. The system will also allow first responders to enter the spaces during an emergency, officials said. The university may also consider other doors outside of classroom settings for additional safety measures.

In addition, beginning on March 13, campus buildings will require key card access between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., according to the university. Previously, most buildings were open during the day and locked from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

"The actions we are outlining today position us on a path to reclaim our sense of safety that was so violently taken away from our community," Michigan State University interim President Teresa Woodruff said in a Wednesday statement. "These steps will provide more robust security on campus while better preparing our community to respond in these unfortunate situations."

Other measures include adding more cameras to the network of more than 2,000 security cameras already on the 8.1-square-mile campus and mandatory active violence intruder training.

On the night of the shooting, campus police investigators could not review footage from Berkey Hall, where two students were killed, because there were no cameras inside, MSU Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch told The Detroit News. John Prush, MSU's public safety director, declined to indicate whether cameras are located outside the hall, but a Detroit News review of the building's perimeter produced no visual sighting of cameras.

There are cameras at the MSU Union, where one student was killed and where an image of the suspected shooter was captured on video and eventually shared with the public, leading police later on the night of Feb. 13 to find the suspect about four miles from campus. The suspect died from a self-inflicted gun wound.

The university says it will expand its network of more than 2,000 cameras throughout the campus including academic buildings and Green Light phones already present on campus. MSU Police and Public Safety will also centralize its oversight of the cameras and security systems.

MSU's security systems are currently decentralized, safety officials told The News, meaning that different groups monitor the cameras across campus. The university has been seeking proposals for a new, multimillion-dollar security system, including a centralized surveillance system that would allow for real-time monitoring. Lynch said the initial phase of the project would be in place this fall.

Some Michigan universities' systems are centralized, including those at Northern Michigan, Grand Valley State and Oakland universities.

In addition, MSU plans soon to request bids for an independent third-party review of the university’s response that would result in recommendations for further improvements that would be made public.

"Our security portfolio is multifaceted, and we’re constantly evaluating improvements and changes — seen and unseen — that strengthen safety on campus,” Lynch said in a Wednesday statement. “The actions we’ve outlined today, combined with internal and external reviews, position our university to be safer, more secure and better prepared into the future.”

Also beginning in the fall, students, faculty and staff will be required to take active violence intruder training. The class was previously offered voluntarily.

Newer security technology remains desirable but there isn't conclusive evidence that it prevents crises, said Justin Heinze, director of the National Center for School Safety based at the University of Michigan. That is not to say schools shouldn't use them, he added.

Another analyst indicated the presence of more modern cameras gives police the tools to help them be more efficient. Cameras usually should be in all buildings, said Michael Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International and a school safety expert, and the right type and placement is important.

"The smart cameras can help us a great deal," Dorn said. "You get a lot of people who say there are a lot of cameras everywhere. … We do want to balance how we protect places."

Officials said the security measures are not the only updates planned and that they will continue to seek feedback and offer more details in the coming months.

Calls to the MSU Union building on Wednesday were directed to a pre-recorded message that said the building would reopen on March 13. Spokeswoman Emily Guerrant said MSU is "still evaluating" when the union will reopen.

"The building is used by many different MSU units (academic, food services, a Spirit Shop, office space, etc.) so there is a lot of coordination internally with these units as the discussion continues," Guerrant said in an email.

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