UI officials held off sending Vandal Alert Saturday, review to follow
As Palouse residents slowly started to learn about the Moscow shootings on Saturday afternoon, the University of Idaho and Washington State University made different choices in activating their respective alert systems.
WSU police sent out an alert as soon as they learned of the incident while UI chose to wait.
UI Vice President of Finance and Administration Ron Smith said UI was in contact with the Moscow Police Department as soon as school officials found out about the shooting, but at that point there didn’t appear to be an immediate threat.
In response to student and community member concerns, Smith said UI officials plan to “review the use of the Vandal Alert system” and how UI responds to off-campus emergency situations.
The suspected shooter, John Lee, 29, allegedly killed three people in three separate incidents Saturday and injured a fourth before leading police on a high-speed chase that ended north of Colfax. He was arrested after his vehicle crashed into a ditch and remains in custody in Whitman County.
Smith said UI officials learned of the shooting around 3 p.m. and first communicated with police around 3:12 p.m., when they were told the suspect was in custody or about to be. Then, about 10 minutes later, Smith said UI received a text communication confirming the suspect was in custody.
“There was a conversation about if we should send out an alert,” Smith said. “By the time we knew fully what was going on any potential threat was resolved.”
Meanwhile, WSU Assistant Police Chief Steve Hansen said his office initiated the WSU Alert System when a colleague informed him of the suspect’s movement across the Idaho-Washington border.
Hansen said he made a telephone call to send out an alert to students that reached about 25,000 people by 3:46 p.m. UI opted to send out notification communications via Facebook and Twitter shortly after 4 p.m., remarks from UI President Chuck Staben around 10 p.m. and a Vandal Alert at about 11:30 p.m.
“UI is saddened by the shootings in Moscow today and offers sympathy to family and friends of the victims,” the alert sent out by UI officials read. “The suspect is in police custody and the UI Moscow campus is clear.”
WSU’s 3:44 p.m. alert informed recipients that the suspect had fled north of Colfax and although there didn’t appear to be a threat to the WSU campus people should “exercise appropriate caution.”
Students and community members expressed concern on social media regarding UI’s decision to not send out a Vandal Alert earlier in the day. Smith said the concerns are not being taken lightly and although he thinks there was no threat at the time, an internal review of UI’s response will be conducted in the near future.
“If we had known there was a shooter at 2:30 and not known what he was doing or where he was going, he or she, yeah we absolutely would have sent out an alert,” Smith said. “We weren’t in the know. But every time we have an incident we try to go back and review what we did and what we could do better.”
According to ASUI Director of Policy Tanner Beymer, he and ASUI President Nate Fisher have discussed the timing of the Vandal Alert message and have agreed to work with UI officials to review the use of the emergency notification system.
“ASUI is aware that many students are concerned that a Vandal Alert was not issued in response to the incident which occurred last Saturday,” Beymer said. “We are working with the Office of Public Safety and Security and the Office of Emergency Management to address those concerns and President Fisher has instructed all appropriate ASUI directors to make this issue a high priority.”
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected]