Stephen F. Austin State University

University police chief Marc Cossich said he's received hundreds of e-mails from concerned parents and students following the tragedy at Virginia Tech, where earlier this week a gunman took the lives of 32 students before turning the gun on himself.

The question Cossich has been asked, and has answered, over and over again: "How would SFA handle something like this?"

Cossich said the local enforcement community has a "blueprint" that would serve as their guide, although it's not possible to have a specific plan for every disaster. That blueprint is based upon the things law enforcement officers have learned from previous shootings such as the ones in Columbine, Colo., Jonesboro, Ark., Pearl, Miss. -- and, closer to home, at the Smith County Courthouse.

A public forum at Stephen F. Austin State University Thursday night provided an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and others to ask questions and discuss their thoughts and opinions related to what happened at Virginia Tech.

Criminal justice professors, Karren Price, John Boyd and George Franks organized the event. Officers from the University Police Department, Nacogdoches Police Department and Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Department also provided information and answered questions. Price the point of the forum was to provide a sense of security, as well as an outlet for students to talk about what happened.

"This is an innocent time in your lives, and you may be feeling some things you're not even aware of," she said, directly her comments to the students in the audience. "Psychologists tell us that talking about your feelings can help you get through them."

Price said the aberration at Virginia Tech is one of the costs of living in a free society. Rather than living in fear, Price said students should focus on being aware of their surroundings and the people with whom they come in contact.

One student agreed with Price, and elaborated upon what she said. "Each of us is responsible for our own safety," he said. "We have to be aware of our surroundings and plan ahead."

Franks told students they should notify someone in authority if they ever notice anything out of place -- such as chains on doors or a person who is acting strangely. Everyone can learn from what happened at Virginia Tech, he said.

Sgt. Brett Maisel, NPD training officer, said local law enforcement agencies train together for scenarios such as the one that occurred at Virginia Tech.

"Six-and-a-half years ago we developed an initiative, following what happened at Columbine," he said. "We knew we had to be trained in advance for a coordinated law enforcement response."

Maisel said an "active shooter," or "an ongoing homicide in progress" presents challenges unlike any other event. For that reason local agencies regularly train together for a multi-agency response. "When we all train with the same protocol, our response is much more effective," he said.

Officers actually practice drills on local school campuses -- including SFA, Maisel said. "While most of you were enjoying your Christmas holidays in January, we were practicing drills on campus," he said. "It's not something we announce to the public or put on the front page of the newspaper, because we do not discuss our tactics. We would not want to give an advantage to someone who would do harm."

Maisel said the fact that SFA has bicycle officers is a tremendous advantage, because these officers can quickly reach the interior of campus in the event of a critical incident.

Although Nacogdoches has not had an incident involving an active shooter, two previous large-scale disasters have put the community to the test, Cossich said. When the space shuttle Columbia exploded in the skies over Nacogdoches, and when thousands of evacuees sought shelter from Hurricane Rita in Nacogdoches -- the community rose to the occasion, he said.

In both instances, communications were top-notch and the safety of the public was well-guarded, he said.

When Hurricane Rita hit, Cossich said that Nacogdoches did not have any of the problems that other communities had with crimes occurring in the shelters. He said the leadership of local law enforcement played a large role in those successful responses.

Sheriff Thomas Kerss said the shuttle disaster is an example of something for which there was no specific, planned response.

"Instead, we had a blueprint," he said. "We used the protocols we had in place to respond to that disaster." Kerss said no two disasters are alike, and the dynamic is much different when an active shooter is involved -- "someone who doesn't mind losing their own life."

In response to one student's question about UPD, Cossich said his department has 22 officers. Virginia Tech has 35, he said -- and that campus is twice as large as SFA.

"Our equipment and training are good, and we have five officers who are licensed to instruct and train. All of our officers are certified peace officers."

Dr. Peggy Scott, SFA judicial officer, answered questions about disciplinary policies. She said any student who is deemed an imminent danger to themselves or others is referred to the University Police Department. If the person is transported to a mental health facility, she said measures are taken to "determine what happens to that students' relationship with the university."

"Our first priority is to keep each student safe," she said. Kerss said the psychological profile of most active shooters reveals them to be intelligent, calculating people.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," he said, reiterating that students should report strange behavior. "These people are not going to show their rage and act out in front of law enforcement. But you may see it in the classroom or the cafeteria. Tell somebody. There may be nothing we can do, but being aware of the problem is the first step in prevention."

Franks said people shouldn't focus on making sense out of what Cho Seung-Hui did at Virginia Tech.

"His reality was not our reality," he said. "We will never make sense of it."

Price introduced Jill Milem of the SFA counseling center.

Milem said free counseling services are available for students on the third floor of the Rusk Building.

"No problem is too big or too small," she said. "Sometimes there may be a week or two to wait before you can get an appointment, but if it's critical -- we'll get you in that day."