By The Editors
Oklahoma City police officers detained a man during a campuswide lockdown Sunday afternoon.
He was arrested for being involved in a shooting, according to Oklahoma City Police’s Public Information Office.
The man fled the shooting, near Westview Apartments, 1601 N.W. 30th St., and ran toward the university.
Oklahoma City Police pursued the suspect across campus and arrested him in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.
Read more about the lockdown here.
Campus and local police displayed immediacy and commitment in their pursuit of a lawbreaker. However, officers and officials failed to effectively communicate the situation to the campus community.
Students received text messages and delayed emails announcing the lockdown at about 3:50 p.m.
Following the notification, many students searched Facebook and Twitter for explanations.
“What is happening?” and “Is anyone injured?” likely streamed through students’ minds as they waded through their growing news feed.
About 10 minutes later, OCUPD notified students via their notification system that the lockdown concluded.
Students who signed up for the emergency text alert system received mixed messages in the following hours.
Click here for more information.
This notification process is ineffective if students are unaware of the most basic information.
After the lockdown, Student Publications’ editors scrambled across campus to gather information about what happened.
Many officers declined to comment about the incident, as did other OCUPD representatives, making disseminating news to the campus community difficult.
The public has a right to know, especially when they are involved in a situation that affects them.
Student Publications’ editors always will advocate for transparency. OCUPD must reciprocate by providing at least basic information about a lockdown.
