politics

Ahead Of UCC Shooting Anniversary, Group Issues Safety Recommendations

By Chris Lehman (OPB)
Salem, Oregon Sept. 22, 2016 11:06 p.m.
A deadly shooting in October 2015 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, left 10 people dead, including the shooter.

A deadly shooting in October 2015 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, left 10 people dead, including the shooter.

John Rosman / OPB

Oregon college campuses should have better access to sworn police officers and develop active shooter training programs for all students and employees.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Those are some of the recommendations in a draft report issued Thursday by a work group convened by the Oregon Governor's Office.

Andre LeDuc, the chief resilience officer at the University of Oregon, chaired the work group.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

LeDuc said the recommendations are about preventing more than just violent crimes. For instance, retrofitting more buildings with key card entry systems.

"Some of the largest crimes that we have, when you look at the numbers, are personal property," said LeDuc. "For an incoming student, who's a freshman, who just bought a laptop and bought a bike and that's their means of transportation, property crime is still the biggest impact."

Members of the group briefed the governor on their initial recommendations.

Brown said she likes the ideas but added they would take several legislative sessions to implement and fund.

The work group will vote on the final version of its report in October, near the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College.

A student opened fire in a classroom there Oct. 1, 2015, killing nine people before turning the gun on himself.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: