"They can lock down a high school. Faculty have keys. Everybody's trained. They know what to do ... On a college, it's so much different," UW Milwaukee Police Chief Pam Hodermann says.

Two months after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Wisconsin begins its closer look at campus safety.

The issue is complex -- how to keep your child's campus safe. Wednesday, a panel of experts -- charged with looking at ways to improve campus safety -- began its work.

Wednesday is the first meeting of the task force. It's a diverse group --
with concerns ranging from dorm fires to the coordination of different
police agencies during an emergency ... to students worried about trusting faculty if they report possible problems.

"A lot of people after Virginia Tech made the comments, why didn't you do this, why didn't you do that. What we're here to do is say, well, let's
look at what the facts are, what can reasonably be done," Hodermann says.

"We're looking at what is reasonable in light of all of the fiscal
restraints too. Is it reasonable to have a police department on a two-year college with not that many students and where does safety fit in," Hodermann says.

Safety takes a variety of different forms for this group with members from universities, technical colleges and law enforcement -- as well as some parents and students.

Governor Jim Doyle created the task force in May after police say a student gunman with a history of mental health problems killed 32 students and faculty -- and himself.

Among the topics discussed by the panel -- whether schools can share a student's mental health profile if a person transfers and how to recognize and report problematic behaviors.

"That's what we need to recognize and help people learn how to report ... they need to know what their options are when they see those kinds of things," Jackye Higby Thomas of MATC says.

The governor also emphasized students need to know where they can go to report possible problems, but he also hopes to hear how technology can play a role in keeping people safe.

"I know in the wake of Virginia Tech there was a lot of talk about how do you now ... with reverse 911, cell phones, text messages ... we can get information to people in ways we never would've dreamed of doing five years ago, ten years ago, 15 years ago," Doyle says.

The governor's task force will meet throughout the summer. It is expected to come up with some recommendations by the Fall, with additional recommendations for helping mentally ill students by the end of the year.