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 "When I created this task force in the wake of the Virginia Tech
tragedy, I gave it the very serious mission of developing ways that
we can make Illinois campuses safer and more secure for our
students," said Blagojevich. "As we mark the two-month anniversary
of the Northern Illinois University shootings and the one-year
anniversary of the Virginia Tech incident this week, I commend the
Campus Security Task Force for presenting me with a report that
provides not only solid recommendations for making campuses safer,
but also substantive tools to help campuses move forward in security
efforts."
On April 29, 2007, less than two weeks after the tragic shootings
at Virginia Tech, Blagojevich announced three campus safety
initiatives, including creation of the Campus Security Task Force.
The task force was charged with developing and implementing
comprehensive, coordinated policies and training programs to deter,
prevent and significantly enhance the response to and recovery from
major public safety incidents at higher education campuses in
Illinois. Members of the task force represent a broad spectrum of
more than 75 agencies and organizations from the emergency response,
mental health services, legal and higher education communities.
The task force first met in June 2007 and formed three committees
to focus on response, prevention and mental health, and legal
issues.
"Working with over 45 talented professionals representing various
disciplines across multiple jurisdictions, the Response Committee
has made findings and crafted recommendations that improve the
ability of colleges and universities across this state to prepare
for, respond to and recover from disasters," said Andrew Velasquez
III, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and
chairman of the committee. "The work of this remarkable committee
will serve to protect the precious human resources that our campuses
represent. I am proud to have led this committee as it performed
this important work."
"Recent events have shown the importance of raising awareness of
mental health issues and eliminating stigma that continues to serve
as a barrier to those in need of accessing services, both on college
campuses and in our communities," said Lorrie Rickman Jones, Ph.D.,
director of the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of
Mental Health. "Additionally, we must ensure there is adequate
mental health service delivery on campuses and explore opportunities
for new collaborations to enhance existing services with
community-based mental health systems."
The task force's report was originally expected to be completed
earlier this year, but members decided to delay finalizing the
report to ensure it captured initial lessons learned from the
response and recovery to the shootings at the Northern Illinois
University campus in DeKalb. Task force members met with NIU
officials a few weeks after the incident. While the formal
investigation into the incident is ongoing at this time, task force
members noted that NIU's response represents an effective model for
all-hazards emergency planning, response and recovery at an
institution of higher education.
Blagojevich said he fully supports two legislative proposals
recommended by the task force, including the Campus Security
Enhancement Act of 2008 and the Campus Security Enhancement Grant
Program.
Under the Campus Security Enhancement Act, all Illinois higher
education institutions would be required to develop and exercise an
all-hazards emergency response plan and an interdisciplinary and
multijurisdictional campus violence prevention plan. State and local
emergency management officials will assist with the development of
these plans, as well as with training and exercises related to the
plans. The act would also require the development and implementation
of a campus violence prevention committee and campus threat
assessment team. The Campus Security Task Force report provided
detailed guidance on how to properly develop such committees and
teams.
The task force also recommended creation of a $25 million Campus
Security Enhancement Grant Program, which would make available
funding for campus security response and violence prevention
training programs, projects to enhance emergency communications and
planning, and campus-wide training exercises. Funding for this
initiative is included in the governor's capital bill.
While the task force's report was released Tuesday, the group
implemented other portions of the governor's campus safety
initiatives last fall, including distribution of more than 300
Starcom21 radios to 70 college campuses throughout Illinois and
training for use of the units to enhance communications with local
response agencies during emergencies. In addition, 200 officials
from nearly 100 campuses participated in six Campus Security
Awareness Training Program sessions conducted around the state by
the task force.
The governor asked task force members to continue their efforts
for campus security by meeting twice a year to determine how the
recommendations are being implemented and determine if additional
measures are needed. The report outlines more than a dozen
additional actions task force members could address in the coming
months.
___
Campus Security Task Force recommendations follow:
Response Committee recommendations
-
Colleges and universities should ensure that all campus agencies
that are or may be involved in the response to an emergency on their
campuses are trained in the National Incident Management System.
NIMS should form the common operating structure for any response
between all jurisdictions and disciplines. All key decision-makers
at a college or university should be familiar with NIMS.
-
Colleges and universities should make development and
implementation of interoperable communications among response
agencies a central focus of campus emergency planning. The statewide
Starcom21 system provides a mechanism for colleges and universities
to coordinate response activities with outside public safety
agencies.
-
Colleges and universities should adopt the Incident Command
System model, delineated in NIMS, as the basis for command and
control in the event of an emergency. All first responders and key
college and university personnel should be familiar with ICS and
should train in and exercise the use of this system.
-
Colleges and
universities should develop an all-hazards emergency response
plan to address hazards that may threaten their campuses.
Development of all-hazard plans should be statutorily required.
-
Colleges and
universities should take steps to see that the first responders
they will rely upon in the execution of their all-hazard plans
are appropriately trained and exercised.
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Colleges and
universities should ensure that students, faculty and staff are
informed regarding their roles and responsibilities in preparing
for and responding to emergency situations.
-
Colleges and universities should work
to develop and implement strong, multimodal, internal emergency
communications and notifications systems for their campuses.
These systems should use a range of technologies and redundant
features.
Prevention and Mental Health Committee recommendations
-
Colleges and universities should develop culturally and
linguistically appropriate messages to de-stigmatize mental illness
and should expand opportunities for integration into the campus
community.
-
Colleges and universities should provide enhanced training to
appropriate members of the campus community on recognizing the signs
and symptoms of mental illness.
-
Colleges and universities should establish campus policies on
mental health awareness and prevention activities and should widely
distribute mental health awareness and prevention information.
-
In consultation with expert guidance, colleges and universities
should develop multidisciplinary "threat assessment" teams to
investigate and intervene in the face of a potential or actual
threat.
-
Colleges and universities should use International Association of
Counseling Services as a guideline for best practices in the
delivery of mental health services.
-
Colleges and universities should develop formal or informal
agreements with local community mental health services to address
gaps in mental health treatment.
-
Colleges and universities should attempt to eliminate all waiting
lists for mental health services.
-
Colleges and universities should ensure that all students,
faculty or staff experiencing a mental health crisis have access to
immediate intervention.
-
Colleges and universities should identify and publicize the
existence on campus of an office or individual responsible for
providing mental health counseling referrals.
-
Colleges and universities should train direct service mental
health and counseling center personnel on the Illinois Mental Health
Code and requirements for involuntary and voluntary hospitalizations
and treatment.
-
Colleges and universities should train direct service personnel
on the requirements of the Firearms Owners Identification Act.
-
Colleges and universities should develop plans to secure crisis
counselors who can be "activated" in the event of an emergency, in
coordination with and through their local emergency management
officials.
-
Colleges and universities should develop a plan for the
management of volunteers deployed to a campus in the wake of a
crisis as a part of their all-hazards emergency management plan,
developed and executed in partnership with their local emergency
manager.
-
Colleges and universities should develop relationships with
governmental agencies to ascertain the availability of federal and
state resources for mental health services in the event of a crisis.
Legal Committee recommendations
-
Colleges and universities need to clarify for faculty and staff
their roles, duties and responsibilities under the Family Education
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Mental Health and
Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
-
Colleges and universities should develop and update response
plans and processes, designate appropriate points of contact, and
ensure rapid response to legal issues arising from a campus
incident.
-
Colleges and universities need to make aware and train campus
personnel on all campus emergency response policies and related
state and federal laws, regulations, and policies, with particular
emphasis on the duties, rights and responsibilities of all key
parties, covering:
-
The type of information that can be exchanged between mental
health providers and campus officials about students and campus
personnel and the circumstances under which such an exchange is
appropriate.
-
The joint response plan between local law enforcement and the
campus to address emergencies on campus.
-
The inclusion of violence and threat of violence in the student
code of conduct as behavior that may result in suspension, dismissal
or expulsion and how a violation of that standard may affect
enrollment and housing status and appeal rights.
-
The school's position regarding weapons on campus.
-
The intra-campus coordination of information-sharing among campus
housing, law enforcement, health professionals and administration,
including who has access to which information, delineating what
level of information can be shared with whom amongst campus
emergency responders.
-
The identity of the lead agency in an emergency, recognizing that
it may change depending on the nature of the emergency.
-
The contact people available for students and campus personnel in
reporting a dangerous or potentially dangerous person on campus.
-
The new standard, effective June 1, for involuntary civil
commitment as it applies to transport and removal of individuals
from campus.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
