EAST LANSING — Safety measures across the Michigan State University campus have been a focus since the Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting.
Students expressed frustration with the lack of interior locks on classroom doors, inconsistent alarm systems, and open access to buildings across campus. Lawyers who have since taken steps to sue the university echoed many of these concerns in their lawsuit filings.
Immediately after the shooting, the university announced major security upgrades, including expanded surveillance capabilities, active force training, and the installation of new locks on hundreds of doors.
Here's a look at MSU's progress on five key security initiatives.
classroom door lock
The door to Room 114 in Berkey Hall, where all but one person was shot, could not be locked from the inside. After the gunman left the room, the professor blocked the door with his foot to prevent the gunman from returning to the room, according to legal filings. Another Berkey professor used a laptop charging cord to secure the door in room 103.
The university announced it will install door locks on approximately 1,600 classroom doors.
MSU announced in January that work was “approximately 82% complete for identified classrooms.” This mechanism can be locked from the inside and requires a key to unlock from the outside.
The university says some door locks activate automatically when a lockdown button (similar to a pull-down on a fire alarm) near the door is pressed. Access to the lockdown button is not restricted, but signage near the button indicates that it is to be used in emergencies only. The system also automatically alerts emergency personnel when a button is pressed.
New security operations center
After the shooting, the university launched what is believed to be the largest effort in its 168-year history to upgrade and expand video surveillance on its East Lansing campus.
At the heart of that expanded effort is a central security operations center that is staffed 24/7 and has access to campus-wide surveillance systems.
Video surveillance capabilities will also be significantly expanded to include the possibility of adding artificial intelligence such as facial recognition and license plate reading.
The university announced last month that the SOC was still working in a “temporary location while the permanent space is renovated” and that the permanent location would be ready “in the coming months.” Center staff are employed and trained.
Additional security cameras are still installed throughout campus. As of 2023, the university had approximately 2,000 cameras installed on campus, but they were part of a separate surveillance system. The SOC brings all these camera feeds and feeds from additional cameras into a centralized system.
more:Michigan looks to how artificial intelligence can help expand surveillance
Expanding campus alert system
Changes were noted in the MSU alert system that was in place the night of the shooting.
The previous system sent alerts via email, text message, and phone call. Alerts can now be sent through the SafeMSU app, providing one-touch emergency calls and nighttime transportation services.
The University's outdoor sirens and emergency green light phones can play tone-based alerts. Other upgrades to the alarm system are currently underway and include using desk phones and fire alarm systems to sound alarms throughout campus.
key card access
Access to buildings across campus is now more restricted than before the shooting.
Students, faculty and staff must scan their MSU ID at the entrance to most buildings on campus from 6:00 PM to 7:30 AM on weekdays and all day long on weekends. The main library requires visitors to scan Sunday through Thursday nights from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
The policy is not yet permanent, but as of last week it was in place with similar time limits.
New metal detectors at Spartan Stadium, Mann Ice Arena
The walk-through metal detectors that fans may have seen when entering the Breslin Student Events Center for basketball games have been added to other venues as well.
Metal detectors were installed at Spartan Stadium in September 2023 and later added to Mann Ice Arena and the MSU Tennis Center, the university said. This system is available upon request at the Wharton Performing Arts Center.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com.
