Campus Safety Task Force Key Recommendations

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper charged a 21-member Campus Safety Task Force with reviewing the state of campus security and recommend ways to better respond to a critical incident.

Specifically, he asked the task force to consider recommendations for four areas: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

The task force recommends the following:

Prevention

Recommendation 1: Campuses should establish threat assessment teams.

Recommendation 2: Campus administrators and mental health professionals should be provided accurate guidance about student privacy laws.

Recommendation 3: North Carolina should prohibit those who have been involuntarily committed from purchasing guns by reporting this information to the National Instant Background Check System.

Preparedness

Recommendation 4: Campuses should adopt emergency plans that integrate into the National Incident Management System.

Recommendation 5: Campuses should enter into mutual aid agreements or MOUS with key partners where relevant.

Recommendation 6: Campuses should practice and regularly update their emergency plans.

Response

Recommendation 7: Campuses should educate and train faculty, staff and students as part of their emergency plans.

Recommendation 8: Campuses should adopt multiple redundant notification systems and rigorously evaluate such systems.

Recommendation 9:  Campuses should partner with local law enforcement and first responders to ensure interoperable communications.

Recovery

Recommendation 10: Campuses should incorporate victim counseling services in their emergency plans and establish a system of regular briefings for victims' families.

Recommendation 11: The state should establish a Center for Campus Safety to coordinate training programs, hold an annual summit and share "best practices" information.