KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Western Michigan University says it’s re-evaluating the way it notifies its students and faculty about emergencies after the school’s alert system failed to send out a warning during Saturday’s shooting rampage in Kalamazoo that left six dead and two wounded.
Spokesperson Cheryl Roland said the school’s emergency communication system is currently set up to send out phone calls and texts after credible threats are fielded against the campus or its community, and neither of the three shootings as separate incidents would have prompted an alert, in part because of the time elapsed between events and because each shooting took place in separate communities.
“It did uncover an opportunity for us to improve how we notify our campus,” Roland said.
But she also said Saturday’s events were extraordinary, and the school will now develop new advisories to cover broader safety issues.
“We did not have a mechanism to use to alert the campus, but we are moving very quickly to rectify that situation,” Roland said.
Roland also said the school’s public safety office didn’t know the shootings were connected until 11:30 p.m. The chief of the Western Michigan University Department of Public Safety was on his way to an inter-agency briefing when the suspect was taken into custody at around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday.
President John Dunn admits the school failed to provide adequate information and updates. In response to criticism that was levied against the school through social media, a university-wide forum has been set for 7 p.m. Monday at the Bernhard Center to respond to questions, provide information and seek input.
“We will learn from this incident and improve our campus alert measures moving forward,” Dunn said in a statement.
– Anthony Pollreisz
