Over a week since a shooting on campus claimed the life of a Texas Tech police officer, University System Chancellor Robert Duncan spoke out about the tragedy.
“I think it is a sobering emotion. You look at the facts that are going on, and then you think about the officer’s family, the officer. You think about the student and his family, and other students and their safety, you know, what’s happening on our campus at this time,” Duncan said, calling it the kind of event ‘all college campuses fear.’
He said that he believes the Texas Tech campus is still a safe one.
“Definitely. I am on campus all the time. Early in the morning, you’ll see our police officers everywhere as far as patrolling,” Duncan said. “I have a lot of confidence in our police officers. I know that their first job and first effort every day when they get up in the morning is to keep our students faculty and staff safe and you can see that in their eyes.”
He also said he doesn’t believe drugs are a particular issue on the campus.
“I think on our campus, we really are a safe campus,” Duncan said. “I know that there is certainly a very important part of our safety and culture to avoid those things, and so I am confident that we are really in good place here at Texas Tech University.”
As far as safety procedures, Chancellor Duncan said he is not sure yet of any changes.
“That’s why we are having an external review. We are using DPS, which I think is an outstanding agency, I have worked with them over my career in different areas and have a lot of confidence in their ability to look at our processes and procedures and give us recommendations,” Duncan said.
He said he has had no contact with the suspect, Hollis Daniels, or his family.
The Chancellor said most of all, he was proud of the Red Raider community.
“What is really impressive that our students, really on their own, organized the vigil that we had the day after, and it is really touching. I went to that, and it was really one of the more choked up moments that I can recall as a Tech person,” Duncan said. “The silence, the somberness, what I would call just the camaraderie of the student body and how they came together for the police officer and his family.”
