University of Arizona students will return to campus this month to find security upgrades, like doors that can be locked automatically, and improved mental health services, officials say.
The upgrades follow the shooting death of Thomas Meixner, a UA professor shot and killed on campus in October. His alleged killer is a former, disgruntled student. They are part of several recommendations made by the PAX Group, LLC, the crisis management consulting firm the UA used to investigate factors in the professorโs shooting.
The report was released March 27. PAX gave the University 33 suggestions to improve safety. But Steve Patterson, vice president and chief safety officer of the UAโs public safety office, says theyโve grown that to โover 200 tasks, plans and safety related items that weโre going through.โ
โThe toughest pill to swallow is that a professor was murdered, by a student, basically on UAPDโs watch,โ said UAPD interim police chief Chris Olson. โMoving forward, a lot of these changes are a great way to provide higher-level service and honor Dr. Meixnerโs legacy by working extremely hard to make sure this never happens again.โ
About 75% of classrooms on campus now have new door locks installed and โall-hazardsโ posters displayed in buildings that tell people what to do in various emergencies.
New posters, which will be displayed in every classroom, will provide individuals with vital information and will also display what individuals should do in the event of various emergencies.
Campus buildings will remain open as theyโve always been when classes resume Aug. 21, but exterior doors can now be locked โat the push of a buttonโ in the event of an emergency, Patterson says. Classrooms also can now be locked from the inside as well.
New posters, which will be displayed in every classroom, will provide individuals with vital information and will also display what individuals should do in the event of a bomb threat, chemical spill or utility emergency, among other emergencies.
The UA also updated more than 170 building emergency plans, which will only be made available to students and faculty with a registered university account, called NetID.
Since the creation of the Office of Public Safety in May, upgrades have been made throughout the summer at a cost of โmillions.โ Patterson says that the school is still โabout 18 monthsโ away from completion.
โThis work has been going on for years,โ he said.
Additionally, the University formed the Campus Safety Commission in May, announced work to โbolsterโ their Threat Assessment Management Team in April and a mobile crisis team that was announced in May as well.
โThe campus community was very supportive of the work the PAX Group did and by-and-large very supportive of the changes weโve made,โ said Patterson. โWeโve been actively engaged with the campus communityโฆ I would say in general the campus community has been very positive on the changes weโve made.โ
UAPD has also created a mental health support team as part of a regional partnership with Tucson Police Department, Oro Valley Police Department as well as Pima County Sheriffโs Department.
โIt first starts as an investigative assisting tool, where when we get referrals or calls and we begin investigations into concerning behavior . . . that we actually try and find the root cause of the behavior,โ said Olson. โThe mental health support team officer helps us to analyze and understand the different types of conduct weโre seeing.โ
In addition to agency training, campus administration and faculty have had their own throughout the summer, including walkthroughs and table-top exercises.
Patterson and Olson say they believe the campus is as safe as ever.
โIf you look at the PAX report it actually demonstrates the University of Arizona campus is comparatively safe to other places ... It does indicate the over the last couple years thereโs been a slight increase in certain crimes,โ said Olson. โJust telling (students) itโs going to be safe, I donโt think does enough. We have to demonstrate that ... they need to see our officers out there, not just in cars but out on foot, walking around, talking, engaging with the students.โ
โThere certainly is a renewed sense of awareness on safety, not to say the university didnโt in the past, but we certainly are refreshing some areas post-COVID where we need to refocus on, certainly on the physical side but the awareness piece, as well,โ said Patterson. โUniversity of Arizona is a very safe place to be, doesnโt mean that there arenโt potentially dangerous situations that do occur and thatโs why weโve had these mechanisms in place to ensure that the campus stays safe.โ
