CONWAY, Ark. – A committee reviewing emergency procedures at the University of Central Arkansas is recommending that the campus test its alert system before the end of the semester.
In a report submitted Monday to interim UCA President Tom Courtway, the Emergency Notification Committee also recommended installing a siren and loudspeaker system to allow the university to warn students of an emergency.
The committee reviewed emergency procedures after a shooting on campus last month left two students dead.
The group also recommended restricting vehicle traffic on campus and securing gates between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., along with adding surveillance cameras at the entrance to campus.
"Since criminals must be able to get in and out quickly, the restriction of campus access at night would create a psychological atmosphere that discourages or deters criminal activity," the committee's report said.
Likewise, adding surveillance cameras — and posting signs notifying visitors of the cameras — could also deter crime, the report said.
Kawin Brockman, 19, of Conway; Kelcey Perry, 19, of Morrilton; Mario Toney, 20, of Little Rock; and Brandon Wade, 20, of Lake Village, have been charged with two counts of capital murder and numerous other felonies over the October shooting at the school.
Investigators say the four men apparently were at the university for several minutes before driving up on a group of students near the Arkansas Hall dormitory. Police say the defendants fired at least eight rounds from a semiautomatic pistol, killing Chavares Block, 19, of Dermott, and Ryan Henderson, 18, of Little Rock. Another man was wounded in the shooting.
The emergency committee consulted with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and the Arkansas Department of Information Systems before making its recommendation. The group also looked at emergency practices at 13 other colleges and universities.
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