CORRECTION APPENDED

Representatives of the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) met their Boston counterparts Tuesday to address security concerns raised by the Virginia Tech shootings.

The goal of the meeting, which was also attended by campus security forces from most Boston-area universities, was to evaluate the current level of cooperation between the Boston Police Department and the campus forces, and to consider additional training.

The discussion focused on technical issues and potential preemptive measures. HUPD said they will lead training sessions for University Health Services (UHS) mental health staff to identify dangerous behavior patterns. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano wrote in an e-mailed statement that the “possibility of joint training between departments” was a focal point of the meeting.

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD), also present at the meeting, would be responsible for training HUPD officers when necessary. “If a training presents itself that would be beneficial to the HUPD we would participate,” Catalano wrote.

But he wrote that at the moment there is no concrete plan for a training program, nor is there a clear need for one.

CPD spokesman Frank T. Pasquarello said “Harvard, MIT, and the other colleges are prepared but the problem is we want to make sure, and that was what the meeting was about.”

The meeting also evaluated the use of communication technologies between security forces—an issue that has come to the forefront as questions have surfaced about why, after the initial two murders, Virginia Tech administrators and police forces did not alert students about the shooting.

HUPD is already a member of the radio network BAPERN that connects all member forces and facilitates communication during crises.

Declining to comment on specific HUPD security measures, Catalano wrote that the meeting also addressed preventative measures universities could take to identify high-risk students.

HUPD will lead training sessions for the University’s mental health staff to recognize warning signs.

“The training will entail our response to medical calls involving drugs and alcohol and to calls involving emotional disturbed community members,” he wrote.

According to UHS mental health services chief Richard D. Kadison, the signs of extreme depression are well-known.

“We try to assess each situation,” Kadison wrote in an e-mailed statement. “Resident deans and professors who are worried about a student might refer them to the mental health service for an assessment.”

“I think the best prevention is to make all students aware of resources on campus and help them to stay connected emotionally with peers, advisers and other in the community,” he wrote.

The Boston Police Department did not return requests for comment.

—Staff writer Noah S. Bloom can be reached at nsbloom@fas.harvard.edu.

CORRECTION: The April 20 news article "Police Ponder Safety Concerns" incorrectly implied that the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) would lead training sessions for the University's mental health staff in response to the Virginia Tech shootings. In fact, HUPD will only be a participant in the joint training sessions, and the meetings were previously planned.