Various officers from multiple law enforcement departments at El Camino came out to speak at the Campus Safety Forum on Tuesday.
The officers from the Hawthorne, Gardena and Torrance Police Departments, California Highway Patrol and the L.A. Sheriff Department were there to discuss one of the main topics of what to do in case of an active shooter.
Capt. Mark Underwood from the Torrance Police Department said, “run, hide, or fight” when there is an active shooter.
“Run as far as you can, then hide and if the shooter finds you then you fight like hell,” Underwood added.
As of now, Trevis said, there has never been a discussion about whether to add metal detectors on campus to prevent students from bringing guns.
But ECPD does have hand-held metal detectors in case they are suspicious of any criminal activity.
Almost 45 people in attendance were concerned about receiving alerts from situations occurring around the campus.
In recent events around campus, the main street affected is Manhattan Beach Boulevard and it has been prone to be the target of armed robberies, five of which have been reported this semester.
There are undercover officers working to ensure the safety of students and community members around that area, Trevis said.
Chief Michael Trevis wants students to get Nixle.
“Nixle provides an open communication forum that connects public safety, municipalities, schools, businesses and the communities they serve. Nixle enables real-time, two-way communication through text, email, voice messages, social media, and the Nixle mobile app,” according to its website.
There are only 3,000 people enrolled in the Nixle alert system from the EC community on campus.
Trevis said that 3,000 people are not enough compared to how many students, staff, and faculty members attend El Camino.
Besides the Nixle alerts, there were discussions about the poor lighting around campus for those students who attend evening classes.
Trevis said there have been improvements to lighting in those dark, secluded areas on campus.
In case one of the lights goes off in the evening, officers on duty have temporary light portals that should make students feel safer, Trevis added.
