Run. Hide. Fight: Three steps that could save your life in an active shooter scenario on campus.
The Liberty University Police Department encourages students to follow the Run-Hide-Fight procedures according to its website.
According to LUPD, first students should run and escape the threat if possible. All belongings should be left behind, and students should warn others away from the area.
Once they have left the area, they should call LUPD at (434) 592-3911 to report their
current situation.
If students cannot run, they should hide and silence their phones. Once they are in a room, they should turn off the lights, lock the doors and close the blinds on all windows.
If running or hiding is not possible, they should prepare to fight by grabbing an item close to them like a book, chair or fire extinguisher. Students must be devoted to their action with the goal to both distract and disarm the shooter.
“These procedures are the basis for surviving an active shooter event. Don’t freeze when the situation occurs,” Liberty Chief of Police Colonel Richard Hinkley said. “Active shooter incidents are terrible things. However, these concepts are what give you the absolute best chance to get through it.”
LUPD officers are trained through federal, state and local organizations according to Hinkley. He said their training division plans, directs and analyzes LUPD training units every day, so they can “maintain the highest level of readiness.”
During an active shooter scenario, LUPD officers are trained to respond to the immediate threat. Hinkley says this means they will find the shooter and take the necessary actions to stop them.
LUPD’s job is to protect the Liberty community, and Hinkley asks Liberty to trust and work with them to create a safe campus.
“You are our family. Trust us as family. The situation at Bridgewater and at other locations over the years have been terrible, but it is our trust in each other as a community and our faith in an almighty and loving God that binds us together as brothers and sisters,” Hinkley said. “Never be concerned about coming to or calling LUPD. Our honor and mission is to serve. Let us not live our lives in fear, for we are
strong together.”
News reports indicate that the incident at Bridgewater where two campus police were shot and killed started with a call reporting a suspicious person according to USA Today. When students see a suspicious person, they should report it.
Call (434) 592-7641, or if it is an emergency, call (434) 592-3911. Dispatchers are available 24/7 all year long.
Hinkley encourages students not to confront the suspicious person or alert them that LUPD has been called. He said LUPD’s response time is between two to four minutes, depending on where the event occurs.
Hinkley believes the officers at Bridgewater prevented a larger tragedy from occurring, and he encourages students to report any suspicious persons.
“The LU Community is the eyes and ears of LUPD … the community is the only way that we have to know what is happening on campus,” Hinkley said.
For more information on emergency procedures, students can visit liberty.edu/security-public-safety/emergency-management/emergency-plans/.
Fitch is the asst. news editor. Follow her on Twitter