In the wake of the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif. and Colorado Springs, the ACC Police Department is urging students to stay alert and report any suspicious activities around campus.

“I don’t want people to operate in an element of fear all the time, but should they be more observant? Yes, definitely,” said ACC Chief of Police Joseph Morris.

He is emphasizing the importance of recognizing suspicious or out of  the ordinary behaviors in preventing tragedies.

According to Morris, signs such as unusual aggression can be predictive behaviors of premeditated violence. In the case of the San Bernardino shooting, several coworkers of the suspect reported (after the shooting) that the suspect had appeared agitated in the days leading up to the tragedy. If the suspect’s co-workers had reported these observations earlier, local law enforcement might have been able to prevent the shootings.

Students can contact the ACC Police Department directly to report their concerns, or, for a more anonymous approach, students can use the Refer A Concern function on the ACC website.

The ACC Police Department has not received an increased number of tips since the shootings in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs, but Morris appreciates the constant vigilance of ACC’s students. “People are good about reporting suspicious behavior to us,” he said.

The recent shootings in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs present a new set of challenges to law enforcement officials across the nation. In both cases, the suspects used rifles in addition to handguns. Rifles pose a greater threat to law enforcement than handguns because of their superior range and power.

Morris believes his force is well-equipped to protect ACC students, but he also wants to introduce tools into his Department’s arsenal to better protect his officers. In the future, he hopes to include shields in officer training so his officers can better protect themselves if they face an active shooter using a rifle or a long gun. But, in the absence of these further precautions, Morris still feels confident in his force. “We train diligently all the time.”

Chief Morris wants students to feel comfortable reporting suspicious behavior to his Department.

Many other community colleges across Colorado do not have their own police forces. So, students should take advantage of the trained professionals on ACC’s campus who are there to protect them.

“Having a police department means we have people who are trained to go out and check for things and react quickly,” he said.

“Did San Bernardino change things? We train diligently all the time,” Morris said. “We see things in other parts of the country and all over the world, and we continually train for every possibility.”