2008 Woodie Awards
S.C. colleges need radios, police say
Law enforcement officials push for new equipment
Jim Davenport
The Associated Press
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
A number of colleges in South Carolina don't have radios that could allow them to communicate with law enforcement agencies during a crisis, several top law enforcement leaders said Wednesday.
State Law Enforcement Division Maj. Mark Keel said officials are currently surveying state colleges to see how many need the equipment, which costs about $5,000 per radio
"We all know that minutes can mean the difference between life and death for our students, teachers and administrators," Keel said at a Senate hearing.
Not all the campuses can afford the equipment, said Columbia College Police Chief Howard Cook, the president of the South Carolina Campus Law Enforcement Association.
While many South Carolina law enforcement and emergency response agencies have the equipment, some do not. Pickens County police officers still use radios that don't connect to the statewide system.
"I hope everybody's running if we have a problem," Cook said. "I want to be able to talk to all of them."
State Law Enforcement Chief Reggie Lloyd said annual training for teachers and administrators across the state will take place next week. The emphasis is on school shootings in the United States as well as schools being terrorist targets.
It's an effort to "try to get across to administrators and teachers that the threat is real," Lloyd said.
The panel met in the wake of several deadly campus shootings, including five students killed in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall by a 27-year-old gunman who then killed himself.
State Law Enforcement Division Maj. Mark Keel said officials are currently surveying state colleges to see how many need the equipment, which costs about $5,000 per radio
"We all know that minutes can mean the difference between life and death for our students, teachers and administrators," Keel said at a Senate hearing.
Not all the campuses can afford the equipment, said Columbia College Police Chief Howard Cook, the president of the South Carolina Campus Law Enforcement Association.
While many South Carolina law enforcement and emergency response agencies have the equipment, some do not. Pickens County police officers still use radios that don't connect to the statewide system.
"I hope everybody's running if we have a problem," Cook said. "I want to be able to talk to all of them."
State Law Enforcement Chief Reggie Lloyd said annual training for teachers and administrators across the state will take place next week. The emphasis is on school shootings in the United States as well as schools being terrorist targets.
It's an effort to "try to get across to administrators and teachers that the threat is real," Lloyd said.
The panel met in the wake of several deadly campus shootings, including five students killed in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall by a 27-year-old gunman who then killed himself.
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