SETH MICHAEL MEYER
Assistant News Editor
JOSH RANNEY
Special to The Leader
Two weeks ago in Parkland, Fla., Nikolas Cruz, 19, walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire with his AR-15, killing 17 students, teachers and faculty members. Cruz, luring people into the hallways by pulling the fire alarm, methodically went floor by floor, shooting as many people as he could. Once finished, Cruz laid down his rifle and blended in with other students as they evacuated the building, in order to get away. Having no intention of taking his own life or being killed by police, an uncommon characteristic in mass shooters, Cruz fled the school grounds. He was on the run for about an hour, stopping at a nearby McDonald’s before being arrested by a local sheriff’s deputy.
Multiple stories of heroism have come out in the days since the shooting in Parkland. One of the most heralded is that of Aaron Feis, a Stoneman Douglas football coach. When the first shots rang out, Feis put himself between the gunman and numerous students, saving multiple lives. Coach Feis died after being shot several times, but according to school football spokeswoman, Denise Lethio, “He died the same way he lived: he put himself second.”
Since 2013, there have been 1,875 deaths and 6,848 injuries as a result of mass shootings. According to studies collected by “The Telegraph,” mass shootings, defined as any shooting where four or more people are injured, occur at least once a day.
Major mass shootings occurred, on average, once every 88 days between 2010 and 2017. This is a jump from once every 162 days between 2000 and 2010. It is estimated that Americans own around 265 to 270 million firearms, more than enough for every individual in the country.
However, according to the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Americans support some form of gun control while 47 percent support Second Amendment rights. The numbers define the intense polarization in the United States surrounding gun control.
These debates ignite each time there is a shooting dominating national headlines. For instance, after the shootings in Las Vegas and at schools like Stoneman Douglas, Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech and Columbine.
Ann Burns, the chief of University Police here at Fredonia, said that despite being well prepared, the odds of a shooter on any given campus are slim.
“Statistically, college campuses are the safest place in the country. You have a better shot at being struck by lightning than you do being shot on a college campus by an active shooter,” said Burns.
Nevertheless, Burns and her team have been prepared since the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. She claimed that after Columbine, things have changed.
“We saw all the rules of engagement changed,” Burns said. “Prior to that there were hostage situations … [since Columbine] we saw that these shooters that go into schools — the aim is to get in there, kill or shoot as many people as you possibly can, then take your own life.”
Burns explained that in the case of school shooters, S.W.A.T. teams assemble and move slowly, alluding to a 45-minute response time from S.W.A.T. during the Columbine shooting.
“On campus we have all the equipment necessary to go into that kind of situation,” Burns said.
Her team wears bulletproof vests and was the first SUNY campus to introduce the Carbine long gun, a lightweight automatic rifle. Burns reported that when starting this type of training, there were only a few officers trained. The fear that these officers may be off-duty at the time of an emergency led to Burns implementing shooter response training for all of the University Police (UP) officers since 2010.
“We have done an awful lot,” Burns said. “Our mission on campus is education, so we are going to push education for the officers and give them as much training as possible.”
The police force on campus trains with local departments, specifically Dunkirk and Fredonia’s sheriff’s department. Burns also mentioned that during the renovations of Dods, Steele and Houghton Hall, UP would run drills in those facilities.
Burns is not only interested in training her officers but also has an interest in training the services employees. UP runs yearly “Run Hide Fight” scenarios for employees along with presenting at the secretarial conferences each semester.
The latest civilian training was offered at Professional Development Day this semester, and according to Burns, the turnout was disappointing.
“We got three people … yeah,” she said.
But Burns is hopeful about the training that she is planning for the future.
“We now are going to do more training with people because obviously [the Stoneman Douglas shooting] has brought up questions and we’ve always wanted to have that conversation,” she said.
Burns advised that it is best to stay vigilant of people who seem to be acting unusually. The Concern and Action for Students Team, Burns mentioned, helps to view reports from teachers about students who may be displaying worrying behavior. Burns said she believes that system works very well.
In light of the recent shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School claiming the lives of 17 students and faculty members, Burns believes the dialogue and training will be very helpful and can ensure that university police are well prepared for this rare and frightening situation.