UCLA Forms Task Force after Deadly Shooting on Campus

On June 1, the University of California at Los Angeles was placed on lockdown for hours after reports of gunfire in an engineering building. The media stories that would follow the murder-suicide would focus on security on campus, scrutinizing everything from mass notification systems to classroom door locks.

Since the shooting, UCLA has created a task force to take a look into the university’s response to the deadly shooting on campus. Administrative Vice Chancellor Michael Beck, who is already conducting a security analysis, has assembled the task force “to ensure that we act upon lessons learned” during the shooting, according to a statement.

The task force will be looking at several issues, including how students and faculty were notified during the emergency event and complaints about classroom security and door locks. During the June 1st lockdown, students were unable to lock the doors without a key and that key was only able to lock the door from the outside.

“This week, we come together to look forward in saying how can we do things better, how can we eliminate violence on campus, how can we make ourselves safer?” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said at a press conference.

The shooting at UCLA marks the 186th school to experience gun violence since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in December of 2012.

“We want a world where campus violence is no longer the status quo, where mothers and fathers are not afraid to send their children to school, where students are not afraid to pursue an education and where teachers are not afraid to teach,” president of the Undergraduate Students Association Danny Siegel said at a press conference. “We will tackle the great challenges of our time, study a problem and find solutions. We will lead the charge against campus violence… We are here to send a message ‘186 and not one more.’”