Michigan State beefs up security with classroom door locks, other measures after shooting

Michigan State University officials outlined Wednesday several security measures, including the installation of classroom door locks, that it will adopt on its East Lansing campus in the wake of the Feb. 13 shooting that killed three students and wounded five others.

The measures include extending the period that buildings will require key card access, more cameras in addition to the 2,000 security cameras already on the 8.1 square mile campus and required active violence intruder training.

Campus police investigators could not review footage from Berkey Hall, where two students were killed, because there are no cameras inside, MSU Police Chief Marlon Lynch told The Detroit News. John Prush, MSU's public safety director, declined to indicate whether cameras are located outside the hall, but a News review of the building's perimeter produced no visual sighting of cameras.

There are cameras at the MSU Union, where one student was killed.

"The actions we are outlining today position us on a path to reclaim our sense of safety that was so violently taken away from our community," Michigan State University Interim President Teresa Woodruff said in a Wednesday statement. "These steps will provide more robust security on campus while better preparing our community to respond in these unfortunate situations."

Beginning March 13, campus buildings will require key card access between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Previously, most buildings were open during the day and locked from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

By fall 2023, MSU plans to outfit 1,300 classrooms on campus with a lock system that will allow instructors to secure classrooms while maintaining building and fire code compliance, according to the university's release. The system will also allow first responders to enter the spaces during an emergency, officials said. The university may also consider other doors outside of classroom settings for additional safety measures.

The university says it will expand its network of more than 2,000 cameras throughout the campus including academic buildings and Green Light phones already present on campus. MSU Police and Public Safety will centralize its oversight of the cameras and security systems. The systems are currently decentralized, safety officials told The Detroit News.

Beginning in the fall, students, faculty and staff will be required to take active violence intruder training. The class was previously offered voluntarily.

"Our security portfolio is multifaceted, and we're constantly evaluating improvements and changes — seen and unseen — that strengthen safety on campus," MSU Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch wrote in a statement Wednesday. "The actions we've outlined today, combined with internal and external reviews, position our university to be safer, more secure and better prepared into the future."

Officials said the security measures are not the only updates planned and that they will continue to seek feedback and offer more details in the coming months.

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