Virginia Tech Massacre: DPS on high alert for copycat of shootings

Threats forced evacuations and cancelled classes on several campuses across the nation over the last two days as universities dealt with the possibility of attacks copying a Virginia Polytechnic Institute student's shooting spree.

"Copycats are things that we have to look out for every time there's a shooting of this type," said Beverly Glenn, executive director of the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence.

For Division of Public Safety officials, a copycat shooting is one of many concerns regarding overall emergency preparations.

"There's a lot of things weighing on our minds right now," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said. "The copycat thing has to stand in line with the other 25,000 things."

Experts say that, while threats are likely in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre - such as those this week at universities in Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and California - the likelihood of an actual copycat attack occurring is much lower.

"I think you're going to see hoaxes and threats fly out of the woodwork," said Mario Scalora, a psychology professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and an expert on threat assessment.

But Scalora added that, as shootings on college campus are already uncommon, "the actual attacks are going to remain rare."

Drexel University psychology professor Kirk Heilbrun agreed.

Heilbrun said the Virginia Tech shooting might spur others who are angry, depressed or desperate to "think about doing something extreme" but doesn't necessarily mean copycat attacks will occur.

'There's still a big gap between thinking about it and actually carrying it out," he said.

But DPS officials remain cautious and alert in the wake of Monday's massacre.

"There's definitely a heightened sense of readiness," DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan said.

Zedan added that additional Penn Police officers have been deployed "to deter any potential activity," and AlliedBarton security guards are performing extra checks in academic and residential buildings in preparation for any potential emergency.

This heightened awareness is a natural response, experts say.

"Universities are aware that there are some students, maybe some on every campus, who are very troubled and who might be inclined to use something like this as an impetus," Heilbrun said. "They don't want to be in a situation where it looks like there was a threat or indication and they didn't respond to it very quickly and very effectively."

Scalora added that, with the increased alertness toward this type of behavior in the aftermath of the shooting, "people are more sensitive to the issue and more cautious and more likely to report things."

He added, "It's a very responsible thing to do."

And this caution is necessary, according to Loren Coleman, author of The Copycat Effect.

Coleman said that "vulnerable people who are thinking about suicide and murder-suicide" may view the Virginia Tech massacre as "something to model, something to emulate. . We can't let our guard down."

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