Local college officials take stock of security after Oregon shootings

The names of these schools, all the scenes of horrific mass shootings in the past 16 years, are burned into our collective consciousness.

Now, add Umpqua Community College in rural Roseburg, Ore., to the list.

Local school officials hope it doesn't happen here.

After each shocking attack, security officials review protocols and response plans, hoping they are robust enough to detect and deter but also provide an effective response if there is an active shooter.

"It weighs on your mind," said Robert Carter, executive director of statewide safety and security for Ivy Tech Community College. "You wonder if you've checked off everything you can do."

The Ivy Tech Anderson campus, the statewide community college's newest, is equipped with state-of-the-art electronic security equipment, Carter said.

But technology alone cannot stop someone who is determined to do harm, experts say.

Ivy Tech, for example, also has behavioral intervention teams to address issues involving both employees and students.

In these times of uncertainty, however, Carter said everyone, students, faculty and staff should be alert to anything that seems unusual and potentially dangerous.

"No problem is too small," Carter said. "We take everything seriously."

Anderson University President John Pistole, a former FBI agent and top administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, said balancing security with an open society is a significant challenge.

"Hopefully, you have a good plan in place to detect and deter ahead of time," he said.

At TSA, Pistole said, the protocol for staff not trained in law enforcement if faced with an active shooter was: Run. Hide. Fight.

Run to get out of the line of fire, hide if possible, and fight only if there was not other option, he said.

"I feel like we have a good campus police and security, but if some person decides they want to make a name for themselves you can't really stop that."

Despite his confidence in the quality of AU's security program, Pistole said he wants to give it a test and plans to have a live exercise sometime next spring.