MSU faculty, local law enforcement and experts from a variety of disciplines were brought together this morning for a three-day long mental health threat assessment symposium at Kellogg Center. The event, which included a variety of speakers, aimed to bring together the community and delve into what an act of violence really is, how to avoid one and what to do if one were to occur.
“We are bringing in the best experts here to the university, and as we want to enhance our teams, we also want to also enhance the awareness,” MSU police Capt. Doug Monette said. “What we’re trying to do is take the proactive approach and trying to throw all the university resources at these,
to stop these things.”
The symposium started off with opening introductions and quickly jumped into the first speaker, Resident Agent in Charge, Kimberly Cheatle, with the United States Secret Service. Cheatle discussed the Safe School Initiative and how the Secret Service got involved.
“After the Columbine shooting, the (United States) Secret Service was asked to partner with the (U.S.) Department of Education,” Cheatle said. “Because we assess threat assessments every day (and) where our protectees go, we figured it would be a good partnership.”
The Secret Service did a study, looking at students who had committed crimes and acts of violence in schools, and found many common themes, Cheatle said. Most of those who committed these acts had planned out the attack, some would mention something suspicious but not have it taken seriously, many have or had problems at home and many have mental health issues.
“It’s so much better to have the plan in place rather than to have something happen and then try to figure out what to do,” Cheatle said.
To add to this conversation, Daniel Roach, who is the owner and operator of Kelley Protective Services, or KPS, gave a case study anatomy of an active shooter later in the day. As a former Illinois State Police Investigations Commander, Roach provided a detailed analysis of the Northern Illinois University shooting that took place five years ago.
“It was chilling, it’s like something out of a horror movie,” Roach said. “They’re laying down, hearing the shots, watching (the shooter’s) feet come down the aisle and they’re watching him get closer and closer. Very, very chilling.”
On Feb. 14, 2008, Steven Kazmierczak entered a filled lecture auditorium at Northern Illinois University and immediately began shooting. Of the 116 in the auditorium, five were killed and nearly 20 were wounded before Kazmierczak shot himself. Many audience members looked away as Roach showed the stomach churning images of the aftermath.
“Law enforcement might come across as blunt, but when you see these kinds of things, you want it to stop,” Roach said. “We have to do this together. Alive, dead, we’re all in-between. What can we do?”
Roach discussed Kazmierczak’s background and the experiences in his life that led up to the shooting. Many red flags had been overlooked by counselors and friends.
Roach wrapped up the symposium, which will begin again on Tuesday morning and continue until Wednesday evening.
“We’re trying to bring everyone together (and) make sure everyone is on the same page,” Monette said. “This is an issue we are trying to improve on and enhance what we currently have.”
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