The murders of five Dallas police officers coming in the wake of the videotaped killings of two black men have Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry and Security Director Darrin Bellows reaffirming the importance of a good and well-trained campus police and offering up prayers for all the victims.
Lipscomb security director Darrin Bellows and President Randy Lowry responded with affirmation of campus security and thoughts and prayers towards the victims, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the five officers killed in Dallas.
In the first incident, Alton Sterling was shot and killed at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, convenience store Tuesday after an encounter with two police officers.
The next day Philando Castile was shot four times by a police officer after he was pulled over for a broken taillight. His girlfriend videoed and shared that fatal encounter via Facebook Live.
The following day in Dallas, five police officers were shot to death by a sniper during what was supposed to be a peaceful Black Lives Matter event designed to unite both police officers and African Americans in the wake of the week’s tragedies.
In response to the tragic losses, Bellows said that his “thoughts and prayers are with the families of all of those affected by the events of the past few days.”
Lowry released a statement to the faculty and staff on Friday, urging everyone to pray.
“Pray for the many aching hearts among families who are grieving the loss of loved ones this week,” Lowry said.
“Pray for our wise and God-shaped response to what has happened and the issues that underlay these events. Take a few minutes to address the anger and fear you are certainly feeling and turn that into positive work.”
Video recordings were influential in the reactions to both the Sterling and Castile shootings and as a result, has led to more discussion of the importance of body cameras becoming a regular part of all police uniforms. This would help authorities — and the public — get true pictures by which to help sort out such incidents.
Lipscomb campus security officers do not wear body cameras. “However, there are more than 300 security cameras located across campus,” Bellows said. “These cameras are monitored by campus safety officials every day, around the clock, in Lipscomb’s state-of-the-art dispatch center.”
Campus security officers also undergo significant training and are certified by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Armed campus officers must complete an additional eight-hour training course, receive four hours of training on marksmanship and also successfully meet the requirements of a target course.
Lipscomb’s campus safety added some armed officers to the previously unarmed force in 2012.
“Most of our armed officers are former law enforcement agents or have a military background,” Bellows said.
“Officers must also complete a battery of psychological testing before they are approved to be an armed officer on our safety force.”
Also, armed officers must complete additional training, including training with the Metro Nashville Police Department, the FBI and other regional agencies. Bellows said that on Friday, for example, “several armed officers participated in training exercises with the Metro Nashville Police Department SWAT team.”
Bellows said the decision to arm some of the officers was made because “challenging times that we live in have demonstrated that incidents can occur anywhere.”
“Far too often these incidents have happened at schools and universities,” Bellows continued. “The decision was made to add several highly training armed officers in an effort to provide the highest level of safety as possible.”
Lowry addressed what the Lipscomb community can do in response to the week’s bloody events.
“I treasure our sense of community at times like this,” Lowry said. “Not always perfect, but we do try to support each other in good and bad times and try to extend a hand to those who feel alone. Today, while I cannot fully grasp the events of the past few days, I do see a clear role for people of faith in these times: we are called to hope and reconciliation. And that is hard work.”
Lowry also specifically addressed students in a response to the shootings.
“I want to clearly say to our students, and, especially today, to our African American students, that as far as it is within our control, we will not tolerate any action that does not maintain a high level of respect, love and dignity to all, even in times of disagreement. This bedrock principle will be our beginning point.”
Bellows said he encourages students to call Lipscomb Security and Safety at any time they can be of assistance. They may be contacted at 615-966-7600. A number of emergency call towers are located in parking garages and other locations on campus as well.
Students, faculty, staff, parents and others in the community can visit the Lipscomb Security website to learn more about the services provided. Information about parking and traffic, self-defense programs, sexual misconduct prevention, emergency alert systems and other important information are located on the site.
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb University