Scott Hilden, chief of public safety at WCC (left), reviewed key points and addressed questions at an active-shooter training last semester. Voice file photo
By Matthew Bartow
Contributor
Last year in October, a shooter opened fire at a Las Vegas concert with 59 fatalities. This incident is regarded as the deadliest mass shooting in United States history. 2017 alone saw the highest number of active shootings in the our country since 2000, according to the FBI. This increase of gun violence brings up some important questions: What does Washtenaw Community College have in place to prevent an incident on campus? And what would happen if an incident occurred?
Scott Hilden is the chief of Public Safety and Emergency Management for Washtenaw Community College. He has worked in law enforcement for 28 years as an officer on the Canton Police, a resource officer at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, and more. Hilden stresses that the best way to prevent an incident is through communication.
“It is extremely important that we maintain an environment where people feel comfortable communicating with each other.” Hilden urges students: “If you see something suspicious or someone who is acting in an unexpected way, please report it to campus security.”
Campus safety provides services for students and staff. Behavioral intervention is available for any student or staff member in a crisis. Facility and students can choose to receive A.L.I.C.E. (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) training to help them respond effectively in the event of a campus incident. According to Hilden, over 200 staff and students at WCC have received the training since it was first offered last February.
If an active shooter situation ever occurred at Washtenaw Community College, campus safety has a variety of mechanisms in place to combat the threat as quickly and safely as possible. Hilden said campus safety has electronic access to every door on campus, and a campus wide lockdown could be initiated with the push of a button. Security has access to over 300 security cameras that would be instrumental in tracking down a suspect. Security messages will immediately go out via text, email, and media to alert students and staff of the danger.
On September 19, 2017, the Board of Trustees authorized Washtenaw Community College’s campus safety to become its own police department. Since then, the presence of armed officers on campus has increased from one to three. Hilden said the biggest defense the college has against a potential shooting is the ability to get an armed officer to the location of the incident as quickly as possible.
“Now that we are our own police department, not only can we investigate any type of threat, we can get an officer to the location of the incident significantly faster,” Hilden explained. “In a life or death situation, every second matters.”
Some students, such as Quentin Goddard and Saad Ahmed, support the presence of armed officers on campus.
“It’s a great idea because of events occurring in the United States,” expressed Goddard, 28, who is pursuing an Associate of Arts Degree at WCC. “We need more armed officers because the campus is so large.”
“It’s a good step… armed forces can protect us from mass shootings,” said Ahmed, a computer science major. “We improve the security of the campus. I appreciate it!”
But not everyone has embraced the increased presence of armed officers on campus. Two members of the Board of Trustees, David DeVarti and Ruth Hatcher, last year voted against creating the police force, citing concerns of police violence. DeVarti expressed his opposition during the board meeting with a prepared statement and a black T-shirt reading “I can’t breathe” and “Everyone matters” in reference to the death of Eric Garner in New York City at the hands of police in 2014.
Devarti argued, “WCC does not have on-campus residents, we are not a 24/7 institution, and we are not located within a geographically urban environment infested by crime… It remains to be demonstrated to me that there exists any need for police on our campus.”
“We’ve tried to answer questions and offer support,” Hilden said in response to complaints about the expansion of campus police presence. “We are here to help and provide support for the community.” It is crucial that students report any suspicious activity on and near campus, which can be done by calling 734-973-3411 (ext. 3411 on campus). Students interested in receiving the A.L.I.C.E. training or more information about campus safety and prevention can visit the WCC public safety page online, stop by the Public Safety office, or use the phone number above.