UPDATE: Days after NewsChannel 3 aired a story about a student who says someone threw a bottle of urine at her and shot her with a BB gun, officials at Norfolk State University released yet another statement.
In the statement they say they've identified a need to improve campus emergency procedures. They are planning to train their 22 officers and they will hold information sessions to apprise students and staff members on how and when to use their new mobile safety application, LiveSafe. They will also work on internal communication. They are still conducting an investigation on the BB gun incident and say they are addressing the needs of the student involved.
Norfolk, Va. - It’s been six days since an NSU student heard from university investigators.
It’s days from when she says she was shot with a BB gun and hit with a bottle of urine.
NewsChannel 3 spent the afternoon calling the university to ask why an alert wasn’t sent out to the campus.
Now the student, who wants to remain anonymous, has finally heard back from campus police.
“I expected for there to be some type of lockdown. I expected for them to at least notify via email or text some type of alert on campus that that was going on. That somebody was being shot at,” the student says.
She tells NewsChannel 3 an investigator said the magnitude of the incident did not warrant a lockdown nor an alert.
They say this warranted just a "health and welfare" check despite the fact that a BB gun is listed as a weapon on the zero tolerance policy.
“There's a weapon on campus. So definitely I wanted there to be a lockdown so the person or persons could be caught and that weapon taken off my campus.
She says all campus police did was search the all-male freshman dorm Babbotte Smith.
For nearly a week, she didn’t hear a word from the university.
“I feel like I was let down by campus police. Just because of the fact I felt there was no urgency there was no lockdown no notification. It was disappointing and revealing,” the student says.
The school released the following statement earlier this week:
“The BB gun case remains under investigation. A report of the incident was taken, however, it was not included in the daily log. This was an error on our part, and lessons learned from this experience are that we must ensure that all staff are aware of the Clery Act reporting requirements as well as our responsibility to provide timely communication to the university community in emergency situations. Key personnel will begin meeting tomorrow to review our emergency policies and procedures. Norfolk State University is committed to creating a safe and inviting atmosphere for all students, faculty, staff and guests.”
They also released another statement on Wednesday night:
“Norfolk State University leadership met today to review our emergency management practices. While our University has procedures and policies in place, we have identified a need to improve campus emergency procedure, technological and communications operations.”
“We plan to schedule training for our 22 sworn officers and also plan to hold information sessions to apprise students, faculty and staff on how and when to interpret the use of our new technology. Recently, our campus implemented LiveSafe, a new mobile safety application with the capability of disseminating information to our constituents instantaneously. In addition, we plan to ensure that our officers are properly trained in the use of our emergency notification system, a new software implemented a year ago that is used to share information internally.”
“In regards to the BB gun incident, we will continue to focus our efforts on addressing the needs of our student as well as completing our campus investigation.”
“It is our goal to be in full compliance with the Clery Act and ensure Norfolk State University is a safe and inviting campus for students, faculty, staff and guests.”
