"It’s unknown if an outside group is going to travel here and their purpose is to disrupt," Cal Poly's University Police Department Chief George Hughes said at an Associated Students Inc. board meeting last week. Cal Poly student media outlet Mustang News shared audio of the meeting with KCBX News.
“There are all these unknowns I have to be prepared for, I have to be prepared for the potential of an active shooter,” Hughes said.
Hughes prepared for these types of situations last year when Yiannopoulos came to Cal Poly. Hughes said there were 100 police officers, a SWAT team and fences installed. The heavy police presence didn’t just surprise people on campus, Hughes said -- it alarmed them.
“Alarmed is a great word to use. [When] people show up, if they see several police officers standing in one area - I'm a police officer, when I see a bunch of cops standing somewhere - I get it, ‘What is going on? Is everything OK? Am I safe?' ”
As not a lot of information was shared beforehand, all this police activity led to rumors, he said.
“There was a rumor there was snipers on the roof,” Hughes said. “There were people on the roofs. They were not snipers.”
Hughes added that many still don’t believe him, but the officers on the roofs were spotters who were watching the ground in case something were to happen -- like if someone got punched in the face or started a mob.
“I wish I was much more transparent before Milo showed up on campus,” Hughes said. “And I wish I had prepared this campus for what to expect when they walked on campus that day.”
Cal Poly spokesman Matt Lazier said school officials won’t be talking right now about the security efforts, out of public safety concerns.
But in speaking to students last week, Hughes was very clear there will be a heavy police presence on campus Thursday. And likely more so than last year, which he knows might scare some people.
“I get it,” Hughes said. "That’s why I’m trying to get as much information out as possible. If you can come up with some other way to say, 'Chief, if you want to reach people, do it this way,’ please send me an email. Because I want to inform people as much as possible about what to expect."
Hughes said he will be working with all 23 California State University campuses to bring in additional security. And with travel, overtime and housing for all the officers, the costs adds up.
But when it comes to campus safety, Hughes said he is not putting a price tag on it.
“If I think it’s going to cost us $100,000 to create a safe environment, then I think [$100,000] is the right amount," Hughes said. "I don’t think you can put a price on to trying make sure no one gets hurt".
The San Luis Obispo Police Department said it will supply Cal Poly with six additional police officers, as well as staffing extra patrols.
