POLICY
In the event that one of our buildings is ever faced with a hostage situation, it is imperative that we are prepared to react in a quick and responsible manner. The following guidelines have been developed in conjunction with our local law
POLICY GUIDELINES
PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL
This section concerns those things that are done by personnel under the direction of the chief college administrator.
Any College employee who realizes that a hostage situation may occur, or has occurred, or that shots are being fired at individuals on our campus, will immediately report this fact to campus security and/or local law enforcement.
This same school employee and/or campus security will immediately do three things:
- Issue the danger signal (air horn) advising everyone that a dangerous situation exists.
(If not completed.) Call 911 and advise the police department of the following:
- That there is a potential or actual hostage situation or a potential or actual shooting situation;
- The number and location of suspects and their weapons, if known;
- The number of hostages, if known;
- Whether anyone is injured, and;
- Any other pertinent information.
Stay on the phone with the Police Department until the police arrive, if at all possible, and advise them of any additional information. Continued contact with the Police Department is crucial.
The campus must have in place a danger signal (air horn) to indicate to the students, faculty, and other school employees that a dangerous situation exists.
- It is up to the administration to choose the form that the danger signal will take. The only stipulations are that the signal must be easily recognizable and that it be different from other alarms, such as the fire alarm.
- The College should practice “danger drills” using this signal in the same way fire drills are practiced.
- Upon hearing this danger signal, everyone in the building must immediately go to the nearest classroom. Staff members should go to the nearest office or securable location.
After the danger signal is given and the people in the halls have entered the nearest room, the person responsible for each room must secure the door to the room so that no one can enter, locking everyone inside the room. The door can be locked, blocked, barricaded, or secured by any means available.
Everyone in the room should take protective cover or at least concealment to the extent possible.
The person given charge of the room may only open the door when the all clear signal is given or police arrive and evacuate the room.
Upon hearing the danger signal, College employees will secure each room. If possible, everyone should be moved away from the windows and doors. The rooms must remain barricaded until the police arrive.
The police will make contact with each room in turn. Upon reaching a room, the police will knock. Before opening the door, the teacher should verify that it is a police officer by sight (the officer is in uniform) or by having the officer slide a badge or police I.D. card under the door.
When it is safe to do so, the police will escort the people in each room out of the College and to an evacuation point. Once there, students and faculty will be listed by name and interviewed by the police for information on the hostage crisis. No one will be allowed to return to the school.
IMPROPER POSSESSION OF WEAPON ON CAMPUS
Whenever a student is observed or reported to have an improperly possessed weapon and if it is possible to do so, faculty and/or staff members should follow these precautions and procedures.
- Identify the student and his/her location in the building.
- If the weapon is a firearm, notify campus security and/or local law enforcement unless otherwise directed.
- Use the danger signal and initiate the same procedures as are used for hostage/shots fired situations.
- Depending upon the situation, the student should be asked to surrender the weapon or declare its location. The faculty/staff member should wait until law enforcement arrives to approach the student.
- Administrators or faculty/staff should quietly ask the student to accompany him/her to the office (more than one school official should accompany the student).
- Evacuate other students and employees to a safe area, if practical and necessary.
- If the weapon is in a closed, locked container; secure the container and wait for law enforcement to arrive.
- Provide law enforcement with a map of the building if student is in a classroom.
- Record the name(s) of the student(s) who reported seeing a weapon and provide information to law enforcement.
- Assess the situation to determine follow-up steps.
POLICY HISTORY
· Policy reformatted June 2017
INITIATING DIVISION
Business Services; Campus Safety and Security
POLICY REVIEWERS
Business Services; Campus Safety and Security
POLICY REFERENCES
- No forms referenced
- No codified rules
- No connecting policies
