Many colleges have had to face shooting tragedies over the past few years. As the list of universities that have experienced campus shooters grows, fortunately, Pepperdine has not found itself among them. Last week, though, when a student reported what they thought was a shooter on campus, all that was threatened. Luckily it turned out to be a false alarm, a misunderstanding that confirmed the competence of DPS in reacting to shooting threats.
While the opportunities are few and far between for the department to show off this strength, a positive problem to have, following the “toy gun incident,” we can now say with confidence that, come the unimaginable, highly capable officers are on standby. We know that their ability to contain the situation, secure the weapon, and make sure that everyone in the vicinity is safe within a matter of minutes means that we can rest easy. After witnessing the department’s response, we applaud DPS for responding to this incident with the appropriate level of seriousness.
All too often the lament “never again” is heard after unfortunate events occur. When we fail to prevent a situation, the pause in action caused by a fear of overreacting always lingers in our minds. We ask ourselves, “What could we have done differently?” While the incident from last Wednesday may have been a false alarm, the manner in which DPS reacted showed that they were ready to act so that we wouldn’t have to reflect on what we could’ve done differently should the worst come to fruition.
As the Graphic editorial read in the wake of the Tucson shooting, “All of us have a responsibility to one another to look out for all of our best interests.” Fortunately, this was a practice run for the Pepperdine population, and for all intents and purposes, it appears that we passed. Remember that the immediate response by DPS was only made possible by the student who called it in. The student caller, whoever he or she may be, also deserves credit for contributing to the safety of our campus. In the rush to laugh off the comic situation, what we in retrospect see as a gross overreaction, we forget that if the situation had been a real shooting incident, it would have been resolved that much quicker due to the fast thinking of the vigilant student and the rapid execution of the DPS emergency plan.
We must remember that this is something for which they’ve practiced and made themselves ready. The emergency active shooter drill executed by DPS on Aug. 10 had the department well prepared for responding to a scare such as the one we had. The annual drill draws DPS, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the LA County Fire Department together “to formulate the quickest and safest response to a reported campus shooting incident,” as detailed on the LACoFD website. The yearly simulation centers around a different campus venue each drill, where Sheriff’s deputies and search and rescue teams map out entry points and refine evacuation tactics. As stated in the LACoFD press release, the focus is to establish the best method of confining the shooter and extricating the wounded. They will hold another drill next April.
The average Pepperdine student likely has gripes about DPS in one way or another. Any student who’s been on the wrong side of one too many parking tickets probably wouldn’t regard DPS with much enthusiasm. Many Pepperdine students have had to deal with DPS in an unpleasant situation, and as a result have had to face some serious punishments. However we feel about these situations, ultimately the most important role DPS plays is to keep our student body safe, and to this end they passed the test last week.
They receive our praise after kicking some creep off campus and our scorn when they slap those tickets on our cars. How we as students respond doesn’t change their job. While it is harder to warm up to someone whom you face primarily only when confronted by your slip-ups, keeping Pepperdine orderly and secure is a small price to pay.
Even though the gun did not turn out to be real, the fact is that it could have posed possibly the most serious threat Pepperdine could ever face. Protecting students is the top priority of DPS. We forget that we need emergency procedures for more than the occasional wildfire.
Imagine the devastation if there were a real shooter on campus. Imagine the nightmare that would ensue if DPS were not able to respond quickly enough. Although the probability of a shooting may be low, the impact of such an event is reason enough to expect constant vigilance. It is always best to err on the side of caution.
