SCENE THE
THE
Spring Issue 2
March 8, 2019
THESCENEFP.COM
www.thescenefp.com
A class on gaming? See page 3
Trump’s absurd wall See page 7
St. Louis Community College at Forest Park
Posters prepare campus for active shooters
Funeral service major Louise Deckert, 24, has been concerned about the possibility of an active shooter at Forest Park with the “Run. Hide. Fight.” uptick of violence at other schools and easy Those words top the Active Shooter Pre- availability of firearms in the United States. paredness posters that line the halls of the “Someone could be having a bad day, and Forest Park campus, Meramec campus and you get caught up it,” she said. “You never Harrison Education Center, and they will know.” soon be displayed on the Florissant Valley There were 23 school shootings in the campus. United States last year, according to CNN. The posters are part of a national The most deadly was Feb. 14, 2018, campaign pioneered by the Federal at Stoneman Douglas High School Emergency Management Agency in Parkland, Florida, where a gun(FEMA) and the U.S. Department man killed 17 students and staff of Homeland Security and adopted members and injured 17. by the St. Louis Community ColDeckert said she’s grateful for the lege police department. information provided on the Ac“Run, hide, fight. Call 911 only tive Shooter Preparedness posters when it is safe to do so,” the postaround the Forest Park campus. ers advise. “The posters are good,” she said. Becirovic The Active Shooter Prepared“Prior info, I think, is now outdatness campaign has been going on for five ed, focused on hiding, maybe leaving you years, and the “run, hide, fight” method of trapped, and the new (information) focuses responding to an active-shooter emergency running to escape.” has long been suggested on the STLCC poNot all Forest Park students have noticed lice webpage under the section for emergen- the posters. Fine arts major Jordan Cunningcy evacuation procedures. ham, 22, said he’s too busy getting from But after listening to campus response, class to class to pay attention to what is disForest Park Lt. Adis Becirovic was con- played on hallway walls. cerned that the message wasn’t reaching The hanging of posters isn’t the only acenough people. tion being taken by STLCC police to protect “I’m trying to meet 100 percent of the students, faculty and staff in the case of an community’s needs,” Becirovic said. “This active shooter. They train every year in conis very important, and I wanted to make junction with other law-enforcement agensure that individuals who don’t visit the cies in the region. website get a chance to see something like Each campus also conducts an annual this.” “armed intruder lockdown drill,” as well as To that end, Forest Park police have hung tabletop exercises. about 200 posters around campus, partic“I encourage everyone to take 10 or 15 ularly in areas where students, faculty and minutes to go through the quick reference staff might have occasion to stop and to read of what to do, and assure the community them, including in elevators and above wa- that the police department is ready to reter fountains. spond to something like this,” Becirovic Many students are noticing. said. By Rebecca Friedman The Scene staff
Photo by Timothy Bold
Forest Park police officer Davie Jost patrols an F Tower stairwell on the night shift March 4. He has radio contact with a dispatcher on the Florissant Valley campus.
College centralizes police dispatch at Flo Valley
Talley called the dispatch transition “seamless” and said most Forest Park students, faculty and staff won’t know the difStudents who call the number for Forest ference. Some people question whether dispatchPark police may be surprised to learn that its ers 10 miles away can be as effective when calls are being answered by a dispatcher on they don’t have regular contact with Forest the Florissant Valley campus. Park students and aren’t as familiar with Dispatch operations for St. Louis Community College’s four campuses and two campus buildings, activities or personnel. Culinary arts student Ariel Oakley, education centers have been consolidated as 23, doesn’t like the part of a larger police change. reorganization plan “We’re one college. “When I call the that was developed Having three dispatch police, I want them to five years ago. answer the phone,” she centers for one police “We’re one college,” said. “I don’t want it to said Capt. Benjamin department for the be routed somewhere.” Talley, who is stacollege makes no General transfer stutioned at Florissant dent Jonathan Claylogistical sense.” Valley. “Having three ton, 21, has a different dispatch centers for – Capt. Benjamin Talley view. He said he feels one police department safe on the Forest for the college makes Park campus, and he no logistical sense.” doesn’t see a problem with the dispatch conEach campus continues to have its own solidation. staff of police officers, who dispatchers call “It’ll save money, and it’ll serve students if their services are needed by students, facbetter,” he said. ulty, staff or visitors. No one was laid off as part of the dispatch Dispatchers at Florissant Valley began anconsolidation, according to Alfred Atkins, swering Forest Park police calls on Jan. 6. Interim President Julie Fickas doesn’t STLCC director of public safety and emerexpect the change to cause any safety prob- gency management. “They’ve just been relocated,” he said. lems at Forest Park. She said she has called police before and after the consolidation, “They have the same job functions. They’ve just been relocated from Meramec and Forand response times were the same. “It’s just streamlining things,” Fickas said. est Park to one central location at Florissant “Essentially, you have a police station in a Valley.” The Forest Park campus has a staff of nine city that reaches out and dispatches all over police officers this semester, the same as last the place. 911 is a centralized location that reaches out all over a region. That’s kind of semester. the same idea.” See Dispatch page 8 By Joshua Phelps The Scene staff
Photo by By Rebecca Friedman
Forest Park police have hung about 200 posters around campus to advise students, faculty and staff on what to do in case of an active shooter.