Tears flowed and bells chimed on the UW-Madison campus Thursday as family, friends and members of the university community gathered to remember slain student Brittany Zimmermann on the one-year anniversary of her death.
Mourners gathered at the base of the Carillon Tower as the bells tolled 21 times, one for each year of her life, at 12:20 p.m., the time Zimmermann was killed in her off-campus apartment April 2 of last year.
The homicide ignited an urgent sense of personal safety awareness across campus at the time of Zimmermann's death, and though the university has taken great strides in expanding security, improvements are still being made one year later.
Crisis response on campus
When word of Zimmermann's homicide reached university officials, University Communications spokesperson John Lucas said the campus' crisis response mode instantly kicked into gear.
""The police have a plan that's the same, whether it's a Virginia Tech-style shooting or if Van Vleck floods and they have to cancel classes,"" Lucas said. ""There's a very set way the university is prepared to respond no matter what kind of situation.""
For campus officials, the first priority is to assess the situation at hand and determine if there is any immediate danger to students, faculty and staff. Lucas said relaying information and keeping the campus community informed is then of the utmost importance.
The university developed a more efficient way to do this last May with the debut of the WiscAlerts text message system. University officials also launched the ""Safety 24/7"" campaign and website in August, urging students returning to campus for the fall semester to always be conscious of their personal safety.
Improving the 911 center
With a collaboration of university and city officials simultaneously dealing with the Zimmermann case, the importance of communication extended far beyond campus borders. Zimmermann's mishandled call to the Dane County 911 Center stirred controversy, but the call also instigated several changes at the center within the last year.
After the homicide, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk reviewed center policy and made many recommendations to revamp the service. The 911 center now practices a ""when in doubt, dispatch"" policy, and Falk added 13 new positions to keep the center adequately staffed.
Leadership at the 911 center also shifted when former 911 center director Joe Norwick resigned five months after Zimmermann's death. After a nationwide search, Falk announced last month that Minneapolis 911 Center Director John Dejung would become the head of the Dane County 911 Center in June.
Capt. Carl Gloede of the Madison Police Department said police and 911 center officials meet and talk more now than they did before the Zimmermann homicide.
""Since that incidence we've expanded the committees that we have between our two agencies to go over issues and to work through potential changes that we would want or they would want to implement,"" Gloede said. ""We have a very good relationship as far as communicating.""
Moving into the future
While Zimmermann's homicide heightened awareness among students, campus safety remains an ongoing concern.
""It's good that people were sensitive about safety issues [and] what they can do to keep themselves safe,"" said Associate Dean of Students Kevin Helmkamp. ""But when your actions are based on fear, do you maintain those actions when you're no longer afraid?""
According to MPD Central District Capt. Mary Schauf, police still see the ""nothing bad will happen to me"" mindset far too often in college students. Even simple safety measures, like locking doors and avoiding walking alone at night, are sometimes ignored in favor of seemingly more convenient practices.
Helmkamp said more university efforts to improve student safety are currently in the works. The UW Police Department is discussing conducting crime prevention surveys and checking for proper locks on Langdon Street residences that request it. Officials are also working to develop an e-mail or text message system for students to report potentially dangerous situations on campus, such as darkened areas caused by burned-out lights.
""We're always asking what can we do better to help students get the information they need to make the decisions that can help them stay safe,"" Helmkamp said.
