At the beginning of October, there had been a recorded 47 school shootings this year, according to ABC News. This averages out to almost five shootings per month. These shootings have happened in a variety of schools, spanning from well-known universities to elementary schools. Nobody ever imagines that this could happen at their school until it does. Here are some steps that schools, specifically universities or colleges, can take in order to enhance their campus safety.

1. Peepholes

This is a simple solution to make sure that everyone knows who is on the other side of the door. It's better to be safe than sorry when opening the door for someone who is knocking on the other side. This gives someone the option to either keep the door shut or open it, depending on who is standing there.

2. Blue lights

When walking through campus at any hour, it is always nice to know that the police are a button away. Having these emergency blue lights around campus is helpful, they are easily accessible as they alert campus police when activated.

3. Campus Guardian App

Connecting your school to a safety app, such as Campus Guardian, allows for students to have access to the campus police or the local police at the click of a button. By having the location on in your phone, the police are able to locate where you are. It also comes with other features, such as a safety timer, so people who you follow as "guardians" know when you got back to your location safely, and a tip hotline, where you can send tips about suspicious activity going on around you.

4. Swipe-access buildings

This way, only people who belong to the institution are able to get into buildings, and wanderers off the street are not able to just walk in as they please. By making buildings accessible through swiping an I.D., this limits the amount of people who can enter into a place.

5. Alert system

Having some kind of alert system within the institution allows for students to be in the know of what is going on, which results in students taking the necessary precautions that follow the situation. These alerts could go through a student's e-mails or a text to their phone. It is helpful for parents or guardians to get these alerts as well, so they can know if their children are safe.

6. Safety protocol

Having a safety plan like the one above allows students to know what to do during an emergency situation. It is important for institutions to have protocols for every situation, so students can prepare themselves for them. Not only is it important to have these protocols, but it is important to teach the students them. If they are not knowledgeable of what to do, then the protocols go to waste and student safety is in jeopardy.

7. Security cameras

Cameras are important to have outside and inside buildings, so when something does happen on campus, there is record of the incident. These also helps to prevent incidents from happening, as campus police are able to monitor the cameras to look out for suspicious activity.