campus College security alarm keeps watch after students leave home Rebecca Marrie Lantern reporter marrie.6@osu.edu Trespassers beware, there is a new security alarm that will notify students of a break-in at home by a simple text message. Inventor and Ohio State graduate Brian Hess chose OSU as the place to introduce his wireless, portable alarm system called tattletale. For the past 14 years, the system has protected construction sites nationwide and will expand tattletale to college-age consumers. The portable alarm system is cellular and tamper-proof, with wireless sensors that will work out to 30 feet when disturbed, and a motion sensor will send a signal to a cellular tower. It comes with a keychain that, with the push of a button, can call police in six-tenths of a second. It boasts pet buttons, which allow re-entry without tripping the alarm, quiet buttons to silence the keypad and reduce chime volume and “hot buttons,” which are activated until the user turns it off. Up to five users can be added to the system’s contact list to receive text messages and emails from the system, which means that at first sign
Andrew Collins / for The Lantern
OSU Police say it is prepared to handle danger on campus in light of a shooter that was apprehended by police near campus Friday, and the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting that took place during a summer movie premiere.
Police ready for campus shooting
BrAndon Klein Lantern reporter klein.340@osu.edu A man kidnapped and shot his girlfriend before fleeing to the campus area in a stolen car Friday. The driver was followed by police, who apprehended him on the Olentangy Trail near the Lane Avenue bridge after he had attempted to drive his car into the nearby river. In an urban city like Columbus, violence and the use of firearms are not uncommon, and as a result, those in charge of keeping tens of thousands of Ohio State students safe everyday must prepare for the possibility of violent crime. OSU Police Capt. Eric Whiteside said the university has planned for dangers on campus, including shootings on and off campus in places
like the Gateway Film Center and the AMC Lennox Town Center Theater. “We do take active shooter situations very seriously,” Whiteside said. He said officers go through training to deal with active shooters at least once a year and are also trained to be “proactive” by working with other university departments such as the Office of Student Life. Dave Isaacs, spokesman for the Office of Student Life, said in an email it’s a university-wide effort. “(The) Department of Public Safety is the lead agency for on-campus incidents, with Ohio State University Police responding, and the Office of Student Life actively supports their policies and procedures,” he said in the email. “Our residence hall and other staff members receive training in proper response protocols.” Whiteside said the university pays attention to safety issues nationwide.
“We do review incidents around the country (to) see what can be applicable here at Ohio State and see what we can do to improve our operations,” Whiteside said. Those types of incidents include the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007 where 32 people were killed. The incident was preceded by a shooting in April 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado where 12 students and one teacher were shot to death. More than a month has passed since the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., which resulted in 12 deaths and 58 wounded before the shooter was apprehended. Though the incident occurred more than 1,200 miles away from Ohio State, security officials said the Columbus campus is prepared for a similar situation.
of danger, users will be notified of the disturbance. To set the system up, a user must create a pin number, enter his or her phone number and email address and then run the key chain remote against the scanner. “What it really gets down to is that when you go to your place, you know that nobody’s been there while you’re gone,” Hess said. “And when you walk in, it’s safe. That’s a big deal.” Hess has a $299 student rate for the system, with an additional monthly cost of $12 for texting. Normally, the system costs $399 initially and $33 per month. Kristen Guzzo, a first-year in health professionals exploration, said she would consider splitting the cost of a Tattletale with her roommate for their dorm on campus. “When we close our dorm doors, we can lock them, but when we leave them open to walk around, it would be nice to know that our stuff is safe,” Guzzo said. However, Daniel Kieffer, a third-year in communication, said “$299 is expensive for college kids,” and that he wouldn’t consider buying the alarm system. “As long as you take precautions to lock doors and windows, you should be fine,” he said. Hess hopes the product will be carried at OSU’s WiredOut store and cellular stores around campus soon.
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Wednesday September 5, 2012