After campus shootings in 2021, Grambling makes changes to ensure Homecoming 2022 safety
Following multiple shootings on campus during Grambling State University's 2021 Homecoming Week that left two non-students dead and several people injured, many students, alumni and supporters called for effective ways to prevent on-campus gun violence.
With less than a week before Homecoming 2022, GSU President Rick Gallot and University Police Chief Rod Demery believe the university is much better prepared to address safety during this year's festivities.
Gallot said there were a lot of lessons learned from last year and believes that the university is in a better position, with the addition of Demery as university police chief and partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana National Guard and Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Department. Twelve or 13 other agencies will also support the university in not only this year's homecoming activities but ongoing activities throughout the academic year.
More:'We need action': Grambling students, alumni react to campus shootings in Homecoming week
Campus violence interrupts Homecoming 2021
Two separate early morning shootings on the Grambling campus left two people dead in 2021 and eight injured.
The first occurred at 1:08 a.m. on Oct. 13 killing one person and injuring another at an unsanctioned event near the university's Favrot Student Union. The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Jatavious Carroll of Delhi, who was charged with attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm/weapon on school property.
The university canceled the remaining events scheduled to commemorate homecoming following the second-on-campus shooting at 1:15 a.m. Oct. 17. That incident resulted in one dead and seven injured. The suspects were identified as Ahmad Green and 19-year-old Zyheim Butler of Bastrop. Both were charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Gallot said there seems to be a connection between the time and shootings. However, Gallot said one thing alumni, students and supporters will see differently this year is that the campus will be shut down.
"I mean there will not be the opportunity for outside folks who have the intention of doing harm... doing harm," Gallot said. "They will not be allowed on the campus at those times of night."
The university's police department is changing policing practices and patrol methods, such as the way officers are positioned, their response teams, how they approach different areas of the campus, etc.
"Can't reveal a lot of our tactics but I can assure you that things are going to change on a patrol and coverage side," Demery said. "The other thing is our surveillance side. We're adding more video surveillance whether that be by drone or whole cam or whatever.
"We're going to have plain clothes officers out... officers that people are not going to know they're police officers but that's intended to be that way so we can approach situations that we wouldn't otherwise be able to approach before being (detected). So, our methods of policing are changing quite a bit from the way they were last year."
More:Grambling State University has had at least one shooting per year over the last five years
Demery said he studied last year's plan and saw ways to make some improvements on the tactical side.
"Our officers have different missions," Demery said. "We do what's called redeployment... that's sending all the officers out, bring them back in and give them a new mission and sending them back out. So I think there's going to be a level of policing the way it has been in the past."
Another resource to prevent further occurrences of violence includes the G-Safe mobile app. The app is available for download on Google Play and at the Apple App Store. According to Gallot, the application allows students to report any suspicious activity anonymously. The information will be forwarded to law enforcement agencies.
"We're not only further empowering our law enforcement partners," Gallot said. "We're empowering our students and anyone else who will be willing to download the app to help us make and continue to keep the campus community safe."
Gallot said he's heard from alumni who were not happy with the changes in safety for this year's homecoming but support Demery and partners in law enforcement in their recommendations to keep the university safe.
"The fact that some people are upset about some of the changes, I think means that we've made some significantly noticeable changes in our modus operandi for this year and we believe it will lead to a safe homecoming for everyone," Gallot said.
GSU Homecoming Week is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, with the Grambling Tigers taking on the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Tigers in Eddie G. Robinson Stadium at 2 p.m. Nov. 5.
For more information regarding GSU Homecoming, visit gram.edu/homecoming.
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Here's how Grambling increased safety measures for Homecoming 2022
