TCU security expands
By Bill Morrison
Staff Reporter

With the announcement of war and the heightened national security level, the university is prepared to handle any situation that may arise, said J.C. Williams, TCU assistant chief of police.

William said the police have done a lot of training since Sept. 11, 2001, to prepare for a terrorist attack. In addition to officers receiving increased training, Williams said, they have been working closely with other areas of campus to ensure university safety.

“We’re trying to include as many staff and other persons that are part of the TCU community in preparing for heightened security that we may have to go to,” Williams said.

Williams said they are working closely with the Fort Worth Police Department and are linked to networks with both the FBI and law enforcement agencies across Texas. He said they have had experience working with biohazard units in the past and that they have procedures in place to handle a biological attack.

“We have a liaison established with the FWPD intelligence unit, receive updates from the FBI’s Infoguard network and have discussions on a day-to-day basis with the Texas Association of Law Enforcement Administrators about important issues concerning a terrorism attack,” Williams said.

TCU is not alone in making preparations for a possible terrorist attack, said Michael Snellgrove, Southern Methodist University chief of police. He said SMU police have taken extra precautions against terrorist attacks since Sept. 11. He said since the threat level was increased Monday, they have increased officer vigilance and presence by setting up a special emergency operation group that would be activated in a campus emergency.

“We have increased scrutiny of suspect and suspicious things, like an abandoned vehicle that could be a bomb,” Snellgrove said. “We have a notification system called emergency operation group that will act as command and control of a crises on campus.”

Kelli Horst, director of communications, said the university has been working to prepare for a possible emergency for the last few weeks. Horst said the university sent an e-mail out Tuesday outlining what students can do to prepare for an emergency and that they will be sending a letter to parents.

“Everyone bears a measure of personal responsibility; that is why we are notifying students and parents what they can do to prepare for an emergency,” Horst said. “The e-mail has links to sites like (www.ready.gov), which contain information that can be very helpful in the event of an emergency.”

The university has also set up 800 numbers that can be activated in case of an emergency. Horst said the ice storm was a good example of what information systems would be utilized in response to a terrorist situation.

“The good news is we have been in contact with the people we need to be with and are ready for an emergency,” Horst said. “If there was an emergency we would post information on the Web site, through our information line (817) 257-INFO and contact the news media, like we did during the ice storm.”

Roger Fisher, director of residential services, said if there was an instance where students must stay on campus, Sodexho has a two-day supply of food and bottled beverages. He said the current fire evacuation plans will be used if a building needs to be vacated, but the university is also looking into adding an alarm system that will warn students if they need to stay indoors.

“On normal day-to-day operation (of food service), we can go two days without anyone feeling discomfort,” Fisher said.

Williams said, between the extra training officers have received and joint preparation with other areas of campus, they can appropriately respond to any situation.

“It’s impossible to anticipate every possible threat,” Williams said. “We are prepared for any situation and can pull together all aspects of the university in an emergency.”

w.c.morrison@tcu.edu