BAC
10-05-09, 14:59
Bay News 9 link (http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/10/5/529567.html?title=Armed%20intruder%20reported%20on%20USF%27s%20Tampa%20campus&cid=rss)
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Three law enforcement agencies are searching for a reported armed man on the University of South Florida's Tampa campus.
School police initially received a call from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office about a man armed with a bomb and gun near the library, according to USF PD spokesperson Meg Ross. The call came in from off-campus.
Campus police, Tampa police, and the HCSO responded to the scene.
A USF student named Melissa was on the 5th floor of the library when she heard the warning over a loud speaker. A warning was also sent out via text message.
"They (police) just started yelling at us to get down on the ground. They had guns," said Melissa, who evacuated to a friend's dorm. "They made us leave and told us to get out as quick as possible."
A USF student named Ariel was on the 4th floor of the library at the time.
"As I was leaving, I heard (police) yelling run, run, run," said Ariel, who evacuated to a nearby building.
Police are checking into reports of a possible suspect in the area of parking and transportation services.
First off, good on USF for having a very audible alarm system, very quick response, and very good communication via text messages with students.
Secondly, the sound of helicopters is weirdly comforting. Even if half of the ones above campus right now are from news agencies.
When the alarm first sounded, it was one loud sunovabitch and got everyone's attention. The problem is that nobody had the slightest clue what it meant. It wasn't until, oh, two minutes of obnoxious alarming later that the loudspeakers finally said "Emergency: armed intruder on campus. Get inside immediately. Lock doors. Emergency." Of the roughly hundred people in the immediate vicinity, and about two hundred more in the large courtyard I was talking through, not a single student deviated from their normal paths, and no sense of urgency existed.
Latest text message: "White male subject seen in the Cooper Hall" [near library] "area in black tank top, cowboy hat, carrying black puppy and a large hunting knife - officers enroute."
Problems:
Professors didn't know what was going on; this was a between-classes time for most of the campus, so most instructors couldn't get into their rooms.
Most professors did not know where to guide their locked-out students.
Most areas professors are guiding their students to are fairly easy-access.
Opposite corners of campus are busy with cops right now, and due to another potential intruder on the Bull Runner (campus bus system) even the transportation center is locked down, which is locking down all vehicles that could be used to maybe move students off campus.
I give USF credit for trying, but so far I haven't got the warm and fuzzies from anything but the speed of the text message warnings and officer response. The school itself doesn't seem to know what to do.
-B
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Three law enforcement agencies are searching for a reported armed man on the University of South Florida's Tampa campus.
School police initially received a call from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office about a man armed with a bomb and gun near the library, according to USF PD spokesperson Meg Ross. The call came in from off-campus.
Campus police, Tampa police, and the HCSO responded to the scene.
A USF student named Melissa was on the 5th floor of the library when she heard the warning over a loud speaker. A warning was also sent out via text message.
"They (police) just started yelling at us to get down on the ground. They had guns," said Melissa, who evacuated to a friend's dorm. "They made us leave and told us to get out as quick as possible."
A USF student named Ariel was on the 4th floor of the library at the time.
"As I was leaving, I heard (police) yelling run, run, run," said Ariel, who evacuated to a nearby building.
Police are checking into reports of a possible suspect in the area of parking and transportation services.
First off, good on USF for having a very audible alarm system, very quick response, and very good communication via text messages with students.
Secondly, the sound of helicopters is weirdly comforting. Even if half of the ones above campus right now are from news agencies.
When the alarm first sounded, it was one loud sunovabitch and got everyone's attention. The problem is that nobody had the slightest clue what it meant. It wasn't until, oh, two minutes of obnoxious alarming later that the loudspeakers finally said "Emergency: armed intruder on campus. Get inside immediately. Lock doors. Emergency." Of the roughly hundred people in the immediate vicinity, and about two hundred more in the large courtyard I was talking through, not a single student deviated from their normal paths, and no sense of urgency existed.
Latest text message: "White male subject seen in the Cooper Hall" [near library] "area in black tank top, cowboy hat, carrying black puppy and a large hunting knife - officers enroute."
Problems:
Professors didn't know what was going on; this was a between-classes time for most of the campus, so most instructors couldn't get into their rooms.
Most professors did not know where to guide their locked-out students.
Most areas professors are guiding their students to are fairly easy-access.
Opposite corners of campus are busy with cops right now, and due to another potential intruder on the Bull Runner (campus bus system) even the transportation center is locked down, which is locking down all vehicles that could be used to maybe move students off campus.
I give USF credit for trying, but so far I haven't got the warm and fuzzies from anything but the speed of the text message warnings and officer response. The school itself doesn't seem to know what to do.
-B