ASU Students Produce Active Shooter Preparedness Video

“That’s the message in this video,” said Becky Garcia, ASU Police crime prevention officer. “The messaging is not to scare people but to share the options, so that way we can all have the mindset and know the options, and have that survival mindset no matter where we are.”

• By Jessica Davis
• November 21, 2018

Arizona State University is teaching students about active shooter preparedness via resources that include a video produced by students involved in ASU’s Student Creative Services unit.

The preparedness video emphasizes the “run, hide, fight” strategy while reminding people to stay alert to warning signs of potential violence, such as wearing a trench coat in the middle of the summer, ASU Police Chief Michael Thompson said. Certain odd behaviors could serve as warning signs, and anyone who witnesses something that seems threatening could potentially prevent a crisis by speaking up.

“It is really important that if you know of something that might be percolating, say something,” Thompson said. “People don’t just snap; there is a buildup."

The idea for an active-shooter video specific to ASU began about two years ago, a combination of seeing active-shooter safety videos created by other schools and taking input from staff members on the best way to inform students of vital safety information, said Allen Clark, executive director of preparedness and security initiatives at ASU.

They decided to engage students in the making of the video to get their perspective on reaching other students and to cut production costs. The overall project was led by Rick Bauer, workplace safety training manager with ASU’s Environmental Health and Safety Office, and involved coordination with stakeholders and reaching out to agencies like the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department.

According to Becky Garcia, ASU Police crime prevention officer, active shooter scenarios are difficult to talk about but the video stresses the importance of preparing in case of such an event.

“That’s the message in this video,” Garcia said. “The messaging is not to scare people but to share the options, so that way we can all have the mindset and know the options, and have that survival mindset no matter where we are.” 

The video is short, about ten minutes. Garcia said the ASU community can gain more information by signing up for the interactive, in-person classes offered on campus, which are conducted by ASU Police and Clark.  

“It takes about an hour,” Garcia said. “We have the opportunity at that point to answer from the law enforcement perspective any questions that might arise.”

According to ASU’s Active Shooter Preparedness website, there are additional active-shooter and workplace-safety-themed instructional videos available to watch via the Blackboard portal.