Senator Craig M. Johnson joined his fellow members of the Senate Democratic Conference to call for a meeting with college leaders across the state to discuss ways to increase campus security in the wake of the April 16 tragic murders at Virginia Tech.

"These horrific deaths should be a wake-up call for all of us," Senator Johnson said. "As an elected official, and more importantly as a parent, I want to do everything in my power to ensure that our children are able to learn in the safest possible environment."

Johnson joined Senators Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens), the ranking member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, in calling to meet with the heads of the State University of New York, the City University of New York and the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities to develop a set of uniform and increased security standards for college campuses.

The initiatives on the Democratic Conference's agenda include: installing a public address system inside all classrooms and campus dorms; installing emergency alert systems (also known as panic buttons) throughout the campuses; exploring the technology of a lock down method for classrooms in the event of an emergency; and installing emergency phones for every classroom/lecture hall and in every on-campus dorm room.

The Democratic Conference will be inviting members of the Senate Majority, including members of the Long Island Republican Senate Delegation to participate in this meeting. "Our children and this issue simply rises above any partisan differences," Senator Johnson said.