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Last year's tragedy at Virginia Tech has prompted universities across the country to reevaluate their security procedures.
Claflin University is participating in two pilot programs that will serve to coordinate local authorities faster, increase the efficiency of first-responders and keep them out of harm's way.
"No campus is immune from incidents like the one that happened at Virginia Tech. We all must do something more to try and protect our campus," Claflin Police Chief Steve Pearson said Wednesday.
One of the programs with which Claflin is involved is the Emergency Management Operating System. It allows Claflin, the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety officials to coordinate their responses to a potential crisis on campus.
EMOS isn't the only security measure Claflin is testing. The university is also enrolled in another pilot program courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Navy that allows sending in robots instead of people to assess dangerous situations.
The Navy has sent specialists to the university to train the police department on how to use the laptop-controlled robots, Pearson said. He said the robots can climb stairs and provide video feedback, letting officials get a grasp of a situation without endangering any human lives.
"It has really helped us out," Pearson said.
The EMOS organizes its information geographically with GPS-enabled cellphones, satellite maps and interactive voice-response modules. The program is Internet-based and would enable agencies to target a potential threat as well as warn individuals via an early notification system.
On April 16, 2007, a gunman killed 32 people and wounded others on the campus of Virginia Tech. A failure by Virginia Tech officials to notify people of the gunman on campus was considered a primary reason that fatalities escalated there last year.
However, EMOS will not be used at Claflin should such an event occur during the three-month trial period, which will be used to gauge the system's effectiveness through mock scenarios.
The EMOS pilot program is being executed by the South Carolina Research Authority through its National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, Southeast Region.
Claflin is one of two universities in the nation trying out the innovative security system, the other being Kent State University in Ohio. If the trial proves successful, the program could be implemented at colleges and universities across the country, according to SCRA Program Administrator Dee Williams.
Wednesday was the first day of the three-month EMOS trial program at Claflin. The robot pilot program is set to expire in March, however Pearson is asking for an extension to show the robots to other universities in the state.
Claflin University and Orangeburg County law enforcement officials were given a demonstration on how the EMOS operates on Wednesday.
Currently, EMOS is only being developed for use at colleges and universities. However, Williams said a model is being developed for the program to be used in school districts.
Prior to the demonstration, NLECTC-SE Director Albert Johnson showed clips of how law enforcement handled the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.
"What they did in those cases was the best that could be done. We've got to do better," Johnson said.
He noted that using the latest technology was not the complete solution, but plays an important role in the strategy of protecting colleges and universities.
At any rate, Pearson believes the new technology will help the university even on a pilot basis.
"I'm happy to get off the ground with trying to improve the safety of our campus," he said.
The EMOS was developed by Terra Image USA, a company specializing in geospatial information.