By Faith Orcino
On October 8th, shots were fired at Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad. Many of the young students were on the playground, but luckily, only two were injured. Local construction worker Carlos Partida stopped the gunman, Brendan O’Rourke, with his truck. Steven Kane, a co-worker of Partida, helped him restrain the gunman until the police arrived. After a mental evaluation, O’Rourke was booked into jail on several charges including two counts of attempted murder and having a firearm in a public school. A judge from the Vista Court later arraigned him on October 13.
In a country where people have the right to own firearm with a proper license, there are reports of criminal accidents concerning people firing or simply carrying guns every month. In September, the Automated Regional Justice Information System (AJIS) recorded 38 armed robberies, which is a decrease compared to 103 reported in August 2010. Though crime is a prevalent occurrence in human nature, it is still tragic to hear when lives are lost, especially those that are still in their youth. Fortunately, no one died at Kelly Elementary, but it was not the same situation in other school shootings.
Since the Columbine shooting in 1993, schools have updated their security staff and systems. Some have local police close by and even have several security guards on campus. School faculty and staff do their best to prepare themselves and their students for all possibilities. Teachers train the students on the appropriate actions during earthquakes, fires, and any other dangerous situations.
That’s the situation in most elementary and high schools, but what do you do in the independent world of college? For some, it has been years since they last reviewed the steps of a school lock-down. Luckily, California State University San Marcos has several resources for everyone in the campus about awareness and procedures.
The campus police offer the Active Shooter Preparedness Presentation. This lecture informs students on how to report a person with a live firearm and find safety. Some GEL classes have the presentation, but for the students outside of the class, they can simply go to the CSUSM website and head over the University Police Video Series page to watch the “Shots Fired Video.” If you do see any crimes, simply call 911 or the campus police at (760)750-4567. Especially right now, with the mountain lion warning, it’s a good number to have programmed you’re your cellular phone. CSUSM updates the campus alert system once information is given about events. The school also has a program called Cougar Watch where anyone can call the police about suspicious activities. Members of campus police are also available to escort you from anywhere on campus to your vehicle or resident hall, between the hours of dusk and dawn, if you ever feel unsafe.
According to the CSUSM University Police mission statement, their job is “to protect our campus community above all else.” Even though classes may be hectic, rest assured student and faculty safety is guaranteed.