Ill. governor seeking $25M for campus security

Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Tuesday he would ask legislators for $25 million to help colleges bolster security, a job the state's public universities estimated would cost $41 million, according to a state task force.

The campus security task force, convened by Blagojevich last year after 33 people including the gunman were killed in an April 16, 2007, shooting spree at Virginia Tech, released its findings Tuesday. They included recommendations on emergency response, mental health services and the treatment of privacy laws. The full report is available on the state's Web site.

"We want to be sure that our universities across Illinois are working together, sharing information, communicating with one another," Blagojevich said at an afternoon news conference.

Blagojevich proposed the state set aside funds to buy equipment like warning sirens, text alert systems or even surveillance cameras. Officials said colleges also could seek funds to help pay for preventive measures like hiring more mental health counselors.

John Peters, president of Northern Illinois University, where five students were killed on Valentine's Day, voiced strong support for the task force's findings.

"We must adopt these recommendations and help prevent what happened to NIU from happening on any other campus," he said.