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'The world we live in'
Clemson University takes initiative to secure campus

April 13, 2023

CLEMSON, S.C. — In the wake of a shooting at Michigan State University earlier this year and the false active shooter threat last week, Clemson University is continuing efforts to secure campus by creating layers of defense.

Clemson University Police Chief Greg Mullen laid out his strategy to balance the need for access with accountability on all sides in a recent interview with The Journal, which includes restrictions on building access by requiring key card scanning to adding lockdown buttons in classrooms.

"We have to look at it from a perspective of: If we have a threat, what is the greatest opportunity for us to limit the number of victims the person has access to?" he said. "If we do that, we're reducing injuries and we're reducing deaths."

Pandemic brings change

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, much of Clemson's campus was open. Academic buildings such as Cooper Library were unlocked and open to all. As students and staffreturned to campus, the university enforced COVID-19 testing requirements by restricting key card access to only those who tested negative.

Since the pandemic, however, the testing requirements have lifted, but the key card access has not.

"The library used to be open, just general access," Mullen said. "That's not the world we live in anymore."

For the library, community members are still invited in - there are just a few extra steps. Community members must first apply for an access card at the Cooper Library Services Desk or by emailing library staff.

"We have to be selective," Mullen said. "We're not doing background checks on people, but we just want to know who's in the library and other buildings across campus."

Responding to a threat

The false report of an active shooter on April 6 provided a live situation to run through an emergency response. In short, Mullen has developed three layers of defense for securing campus: identifying the threat on video, denying access and slowing down the threat.

By protocol, after receiving a report of a threat through lockdown buttons or other means, the Physical Security Operations center is immediately notified. Stacked with large monitors and a 24/7 staff in the department headquarters, the center provides university police access to more than 3, 300 camera views across campus, Mullen said.

Once the threat is confirmed, public safety officials can lockdown a building, or all of campus, with the click of a button.

Before 2018, there was no integration between the different security systems Clemson has in place, such as key card access and cameras. Now, officials can relay information to responding officers, decreasing the time to exterminate the threat and the exposure the threat has.

"You can't always guarantee that you're going to stop people who want to do bad things, because if somebody has it in their mind to do a bad thing, they're going to figure out a way to do it," Mullen said.

However, in the moments before officers arrive, Mullen warns that students, staffand faculty must be prepared to fight back if they cannot run or hide from the threat.

"Don't be passive and let somebody walk into a room and just shoot you," he said. "You've got to have a plan and fight."

Recent instances of firearms on campus

Besides last week's swatting incident, Clemson University police had investigated five reports of firearm-related incidents since last fall, incident reports obtained through open records requests show.

In August, a student was arrested for posting threatening messages on social media, according to a statement by Clemson University police. A student was also arrested in January after police received reports he had a firearm, had been ordering individual parts of a handgun and had several sizes of knives and a large machete, according to one report. A written statement to the police said that the student would say things like, "If I go down, I will be surrounded by federal agents and I'm taking some with me."

Then, in February, a construction worker was arrested after police said he had a small pistol under the seat of his work truck. South Carolina law prohibits possession of any firearms on school property, along with the public display, brandishing or threatening of others with the gun. One man was arrested earlier this year after waving a handgun at a campus bus driver after they honked their horn to ask the man to move, according to another report.

Police also investigated a driver in March who allegedly pointed a gun at two students in the Lightsey Bridge parking lot, saying, "It's a joke, it's just a prank," before driving away.

Preventing property damage, keeping resources for students

Securing campus is not only for preventing active shooter threats, Mullen said. It is also to prevent property damage from larceny and vandalism, ensuring that the resources students pay for remain available to them.

With millions of dollars' worth of technology in classrooms and other places on campus, Clemson secures buildings at night by restricting key card access to only select buildings that are open.

"We don't want people going in and destroying our buildings," Mullen said.

In recent months, the Snow Complex and Y-Beach have become restricted to only students, faculty and staff, requiring a university ID for property access. Mullen says crime in the area and student population growth has led the university to reconsider who the space was available to.

"I've talked with people like, 'Oh, I used to go out to Y-beach when I was a little kid and we'd have hot dogs and snow cones,'" Mullen said. "Well, hot dogs and snow cones is not in the master plan for how that facility is going to be utilized by the university."

Clemson is considering different community events and educational learning opportunities to invite in the community. Mullen said the overall goal is to balance what they can do to be good neighbors.