Although most statistics show a steady decline in the rate of school violence, the Otterbein security department is doing it's best to make sure students are prepared.
The active shooter program was introduced to Otterbein last quarter as a way to prepare students, faculty and staff should a shooting incident ever happen on campus.
"The goal is obviously to insure the safety and security of the Otterbein community," said Sergeant Daniel Pierron of the Otterbein security department, "While Otterbein is safe, no one is immune to things of this nature."
The security department is being proactive should an incident arise on campus. "You would be surprised how many people don't know how to react," said Pierron, "Those few critical seconds that you take trying to process, could be precious time that you need to barricade a door or run out of a building."
Security began putting together the fundamental elements of the program a couple of days after the incident at Virginia Tech. "I put myself in your shoes," said Pierron, "I though about how helpless the students and faculty at Virginia Tech had to feel, and no one should have to be put in that situation."
The program is divided into three different phases according to Pierron. Phase one of the program is the most academic of the three. According to Pierron, it consists of a powerpoint presentation that outlines the three different types of shooting incidents. Also they will have in depth discussions about certain shooting incidents like Virginia Tech and Columbine.
Phase two of the program is much more hands on. "Phase two is a little more practical," said Pierron, "We will teach students how to barricade doors in a classroom, how to look for 'weapons' in the classroom and really instill a sense of empowerment so that students will be able to defend themselves."
The final phase of the program is purely self defense, according to Pierron. Students will learn how to mentally prepare themselves and learn how to react to different scenarios. This phase is taught in the Rike Center and will teach students how to strip a weapon, assault a person and basic defense techniques.
Even though security is being proactive in an effort to prepare Otterbein, some students don't think that the program is a high priority.
"Crime on Otterbein's campus doesn't really seem like a big threat to me," says James Castrillo, a sophomore history major, "I guess it's important that people know how to protect themselves, but it seems like something that would seem more in place at a larger college like OSU."
Originally, each phase of the program would be offered during each quarter, but the security department is very flexible, "We'll make it as flexible as it needs to be," said Pierron, "I don't care whether I have to work late every night, or if I'm teaching 2 people or 100 people. I'll do it as long as people want to hear it."
Even though classes are being offered once per quarter, the department has put on multiple classes not only for faculty and students that could not attend scheduled sessions, but they have also presented to the Ohio College Law Enforcement Association, the Ohio Crime Prevention Association and the Ohio College Personnel Association, among others.
"I think we are probably ahead of the game in this area," said Pierron, "We have really taken the initiative and taken the lead and students are responding."
According to Pierron, enrollment has been pleasantly surprising. Every residence hall is required to do one crime prevention session per quarter and a lot of them have chosen the active shooter program.
The training class is taught not only by Sergeant Pierron but in conjunction with Director of Security Larry Banaszak. Before coming Otterbein, Banaszak was a Staff Lieutenant for the Ohio Highway Patrol, where one of his assignments was a self-defense instructor at the patrol academy.
