COLUMBUS — The Columbus Chapter of ASIS International invited Dr. John Nestor to its monthly meeting held at the Bravo restaurant next to the Ohio State University campus.

He highlighted events leading up to the Virginia Tech shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007. The mass shooting may have been prevented if the university had a threat assessment team in place, according to the presentation. Dr. Nestor shared warning signs that were known in advance of that tragic day but were not acted on in time to prevent the campus shooting.

“Everyone knew something, but no one knew everything. There was no team in place to connect the dots and act,” according to Dr. Nestor.

Dr. Nestor recalled a mass shooting that never happened in his previous position as the director of public safety at Columbus State, one of the largest community colleges in the nation. A tip from an instructor led to a successful team assessment and intervention of a student who came to the campus with a backpack, ammunition, and handgun purchased the same day of the tip. The student had recently failed a high stakes examination earlier in the day and after a difficult conversation with the student, the instructor was concerned the student could return later that evening. The student was apprehended just before he entered the academic building. He was arrested and later sentenced to prison.

Dr. Nestor informed the group most interventions do not end in arrest. Support is provided for people in crisis before matters escalate.

The state of Virginia later passed a law requiring threat assessment teams. Ohio recently passed a law requiring teams be formed in middle schools and high schools, and the state provides training. Dr. Nestor will also present on leadership at ASIS International’s regional convention in May at the Hollywood Casino, Columbus. He is the co-author of “On Leadership: An Interdisciplinary Approach,” based on his transformational leadership experiences in K-12, higher education, manufacturing, and public safety.

Founded in 1955, ASIS International is a global community of security practitioners, each of whom has a role in the protection of assets, people, property, and information.