ISU prepared for shooting, say school leaders

Following Thursday’s deadly shooting at a community college in Oregon, officials at Idaho State University say the school has a response plan in the unlikely event of a shooting occurring locally.

Lewis Eakins, ISU’s public safety director, said the school would immediately call Pocatello police and allow them to take charge of the response to a shooting.

Unlike the college in Oregon, ISU has armed public safety officers patrolling the Pocatello campus 24/7.

The school also regularly holds active shooting drills on its campuses in Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Meridian. The most recent one was held this summer, and highlighted several areas for improvement, Eakins said.

He said the school first began considering its response to a possible shooting following the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech.

Should an on-campus shooting occur, Eakins encourages students and faculty to run or hide. He said they can fight back as a last resort.