The Virginia Tech Review Panel identified oversights by the state's mental health system and slow response time as factors that contributed to the occurrence and extent of the April shootings at Virginia Tech.
The report, released yesterday and compiled by a panel formed by Gov. Tim Kaine, outlines topics such as Virginia Tech's security, the timeline of events, shooter Sueng-Hui Cho 's mental health, information on federal privacy laws and the emergency medical services response. The panel was charged with investigating the circumstances that led up to the shootings as well as the manner in which officials responded when the violence began.Members of the panel spent the past several months engaging in numerous interviews and hearing testimonies from experts of pertinent areas. Shortly after the report was released, Kaine responded to the findings.
In the wake of the tragedy, the workings of the state's mental health system have been debated and criticized by many. The panel found that there are issues that need to be addressed within that system.
"The response of the state mental health system, in the one instance when it dealt with Cho, suggests that there are problems concerning the way Virginia implements its mental health laws," Kaine stated in a press release.
As an example, Kaine cited specific instances of Cho's experiences in the mental health system. Following concerns about his psychiatric stability, Cho was sent to St. Albans Behavioral Health Center in December of 2005 and was diagnosed as a danger to both himself and society. According to Kaine, there was no official follow-up that took place to determine if the required outpatient procedure was completed.
Kaine also commented on the response time discussed in the report, stating that the campus community should have been notified "in the immediate aftermath" of the first two fatal shootings.
One of the faults identified in the delayed response time was the fact that Virginia Tech police officers were not able to issue a notice themselves. Kaine added in a press release that, "the fact that the Virginia Tech Police Department did not have the ability to initiate such notice without convening an administrative committee and working through the wording of the notice was a problem."
The report characterized Virginia Tech's Emergency Response Plan as "deficient," noting that the response plan was not only two years outdated, but also did not include provisions for a shooting scenario. The report also indicated that Virginia Tech had not established a threat assessment team.
"The protocol for sending an emergency message in use April 16 was cumbersome, untimely, and problematic when a decision was needed as soon as possible," the report read. "It is critical to alert the entire campus population when there is imminent danger."
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger responded to the report yesterday and said the process of notifying students in emergency situations, as well as the identification of troubled students, will be improved.
"As we move forward we need to be more aggressive in identifying and assisting students of risk," Steger said.
He added that laws will need to be changed and that Virginia Tech would not be a "bystander" in the political process.
"If there are laws that need to be changed, we're going to be advocates for them," Steger said.
He also later pointed out that no one can know what would have happened that day if different decisions had been made. Steger dismissed suggestions that there had been a "two-hour gap" in responding to the shooting by saying there had been continuous action taken after the first shooting occurred.
Regarding Cho, Steger said he hid his depression when offered help and added that nobody at Tech had any previous knowledge of Cho's problems.
Steger described the panel's review as "extraordinarily comprehensive."
"We respect and commend the panel for what they have done," Steger said. "They're illustrative and useful for future actions."
According to a press release from the governor's office, the panel's recommendations will be reviewed in the weeks to come to determine what action would need to be taken to implement them.
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