Leaders from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security want to beef up campus security around the state.

This meeting in Indianapolis follows a visit from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez on this subject earlier this week.

State homeland security officials wanted to get campus security from across the state together to share ideas.

Representatives from 20 universities were at the meeting. All universities in the state have some sort of disaster plan, but some are more developed than others.

Officials discussed reaching out to students who have problems before they threaten other students. They also shared ideas on how to let students know if an emergency is happening on campus as soon as possible.

That was one of the criticisms following the Virginia Tech shootings. Campus security officials say universities face unique challenges.

"Nobody wants to learn in a prison. And college campuses traditionally have a very open atmosphere to exchange ideas,” said Dan Wilson from Valparaiso University. “It’s a balance of personal freedom versus what you can do practically."

A committee of university representatives and homeland security officials plan to meet monthly on the issue and eventually come up with guidelines all universities should follow.