Following the federal government levying hefty fines on Virginia Tech for providing inadequate warning on the day more than 30 students were slain in 2007, the LSU Police Department says emergency text messages are a valuable tool that must be used sparingly.
The U.S. Department of Education notified Virginia Tech it would be fined $55,000 for waiting too long to respond after two students were killed the morning before the massacre.
According to a letter written to Virginia Tech’s president from a Department of Education official, Virginia Tech will receive fines for two separate violations of the Clery Act, which dictates how universities respond and record safety issues on campus.
According to the letter, one fine is being levied because Tech officials sent the first campus correspondence warning students of potential danger about two hours after the first two victims of the massacre were discovered. About 15 minutes after the notification was issued, the assailant began shooting again. Ultimately, 32 people were killed.
The other fine will be levied because Virginia Tech failed to follow the timely warning policy dictated by the Clery Act.
Virginia Tech issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and outlining plans for an appeal.
LSU’s sparse usage of the emergency text message system is by design, according to Sgt. Blake Tabor, LSUPD spokesman.
Tabor said text message alerts are issued only if there is an urgent threat to students or if police need an immediate response from students.
“We take each situation on a case-by-case basis,” Tabor said.
The University last used the emergency text message system to inform students of a gas leak to avoid near campus.
“In that situation, we needed an immediate response from students to avoid the area,” Tabor said.
Earlier this semester, the University issued a text message warning after a student was attacked on the Parade Ground during the early morning hours.
Some students complained because the emergency text message was sent more than two hours after the assault occurred.
LSUPD also drew complaints after a student drove his car into the Quad last spring and began unloading a random assortment of items, including a gas tank, from his car.
Tabor said a number of factors go into the determination of when an emergency message will be sent. In some cases, the police may not have adequate information to send an accurate warning for students.
“We don’t want to turn the message system into a rumor mill,” Tabor said. “The information and situation has to be clear and precise before being sent. People think the message needs to go out in one minute, but that isn’t always the case.”
Tabor also said the emergency message is used sparingly to ensure it resounds when it is sent to students.
“We don’t want students to disregard the system because they think we are crying wolf,” Tabor said.
 
 
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Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]