DEALING WITH CAMPUS VIOLENCE

What do we do?
How can we lower the chances of it happening here?
Have you thought about how you would react if it happened to you?

Major categories of school violence that we have to deal with in today's world include:

1. Bombs and bomb threats
2. Arson
3. Assaults on individuals (fights, stabbing, shootings, kidnapping)
4. Assaults on groups (hostage taking, mass shootings)
5. Ways to prevent a hostage situation or shooting.
EVERY SITUATION IS UNIQUE. We can only talk about response and prevention in general terms and with general suggestions. The following is a guide for different situations and how you can expect the police to respond to these incidents.

1. BOMBS AND BOMB THREATS

How you should react to bomb threats:

Call 911.  You may also call the Sherriff’s department in Uvalde (278-4401), or the local police departments in Del Rio (774-2711) and Eagle Pass (773-9208).  You may also call campus security in Uvalde at 278-4401.

2. ARSON

How you should react to arson:

Prepare against arson like you would an accidental fire. Plan on how to get out of a room. Plan alternate exits (windows). This is especially important because an arsonist often tries to intentionally block the exits to a room to prevent escape. Could you break through a Sheetrock wall, or go through a suspended ceiling if you had to? Plan ahead; survey your office or classroom. Know where the Fire Extinguishers are. Plan on how to get everyone out. Do not assume the fire has been reported. Call 911

3. ASSAULTS ON INDIVIDUALS

How you should react to an assault:

If the assault is in progress against you or another; scream, yell, or do something to get as much attention as possible and to get the attacker to stop. Call for help (911). Aid the victim if possible. Be a good witness (including being able to describe the attacker, his clothes, his vehicle, where he went, what he did, what he said).

4. ASSAULTS ON GROUPS

What leads up to shootings or hostage incidents?

• The actors (individuals or groups) often plan the event for days, weeks, or months.

• They warn others with their moods, emotions, or possible falling grades, that trouble or hate is building within them.

• They may brag or boast their plans to others, or threaten others where they can be intentionally overheard.

• They exhibit a progressive increase of violence, anger, hatred, or rudeness to others. The actors are often outcasts, loners, or someone others consider weird. They could belong to a group or gang of similar individuals.

• They may become a rebel against society and authority. They may exhibit a lack of respect for others and the property of others.

5. WAYS TO PREVENT A HOSTAGE SITUATION OR SHOOTING

Ways you can help prevent an assault event or discover these people before they go that far:

• Watch your students for the above behavior and patterns. Watch for loners, outcasts, or groups of persons exhibiting gang behavior. Don't give credibility to groups not recognized by the college.

• Listen to your students. They know far more about what is going on with others in their group than we will ever know. Let them know that they can talk to you about someone or something that is bothering them, or about something that they have overheard. Make it part of your classroom to talk about the tragedies that have happened in Colorado and elsewhere. Get their suggestions.

• Students trust that we will take care of them. Go over the what-ifs with your students. Go over your reaction plan. Explain to them how law enforcement and emergency services will respond to a situation.

• Advise a University Officer (Dean, Faculty, Staff Member)

How you should react to a shooting or hostage event:

• If you are in a class and hear shooting nearby; keep everyone inside, lock the doors, close the blinds, and get everyone on the floor, possibly against a wall out of the line of fire from the windows. STAY THERE! Someone in the class probably has a cell phone with them. Use it to call 911. Emergency personnel will respond and evacuate you when it is safe to do so.

• If suspects are in your classroom with a gun: Don't challenge them. Don't threaten them. Do what they say. Try to keep things calm. Remember, for the first few minutes, or until they are notified, the police do not know that anything has happened. Then they have to have time to assess the situation and react to the situation. The first few minutes of an incident are critical and most often you are alone with the danger.

• Victims and hostages should follow directions given by law enforcement, for the safety of everyone.

• Advise a University Officer (Dean, Faculty, Staff Member)

• They may be ordered to exit an area with their hands raised and may be treated as armed and dangerous until they are identified.

• The area will be closed off as a crime scene for a time and this may cause some inconvenience to you or your area. Please obey officers, they will work as efficiently and as quickly as possible to get things back to normal.

Local Emergency Numbers

Call 911 from any location, or from a particular campus call.