The Successful Disruption of the Active Shooter Attack at Seattle Pacific University
Part 1 – Planning and Response
On June 5, 2014, an active shooter attack at Seattle Pacific University left one student dead but a heroic response from a student disrupted the attack and saved lives. Part one of this case study reviews the decade long planning and preparations this small university had in place for such an event. Cheryl will walk you through the campus response, including how it was able to lock the entire campus down within 15 seconds of receiving notice of shots fired, notify the community in less than a minute, and create a coordinated response between campus security officers, police, and EMS. Cheryl will also discuss the impact COVID 19 has had on their operations and the plans for rebuilding and strengthening SPU’s culture of preparedness.
Cheryl Michaels, Director of Emergency Management for Seattle Pacific University
Cheryl Michaels is a frequent speaker on the importance of preparing both individually and organizationally for life-threatening events. In her role as Director of Emergency Management at Seattle Pacific University, Cheryl oversees the implementation University’s emergency and crisis management plans with a specific focus on response and recovery planning for active attacks. In June 2014, those preparations were instrumental in the University’s response to an armed attack on campus. Cheryl was the operational commander during the response and from that experience and leading in other crisis events, shares her passion that preparedness is key to creating safe learning, working, and living environments.
Also plan on joining us for The Successful Disruption of the Active Shooter Attack at Seattle Pacific University Part 2 – Recovery on February 7th!