Threats

Most people show clues of violent tendencies before resorting to violence. If you believe or have concerns that someone is a potential threat to campus, contact the University Police at 936.294.1800 or report online.

How to Respond to an Active Shooter

Should a shooter or a person with a weapon appear on campus, call 911 or the University Police Department at 936.294.1000 as soon as you are safe. Our University Police Department is trained and will respond immediately upon notification.

Each situation is different, so no single procedure will work in all circumstances. You will have to make the best decision based on your particular situation. Always be aware of your surroundings as you determine how best to protect yourself.

The Department of Homeland Security offers the following strategy to survive an active shooter event:

Avoid the threat

Get in the right mindset by:

Paying attention to your surroundings

Having an exit plan

Moving away from the threat as quickly as possible

The more distance and barriers between you and the threat, the better!

Deny access to you

When getting away is difficult or impossible:

Keep distance between you and the threat

Create barriers to prevent or slow down a threat from getting to you

Turn the lights off

Remain out of sight and quiet by hiding behind large objects

Silence your phone

Defend yourself

If you cannot Avoid or Deny, be prepared to Defend yourself by:

Being aggressive and committing to your actions

Throwing items and improvising weapons

Fighting for survival. Do not fight fairly.

When law enforcement arrives, show your hands and follow commands. This is done for safety reasons to prevent further injury and possible escape by the perpetrator(s).

Live Trainings

Active Shooter trainings are available upon request and will be conducted periodically on campus.

More about trainings

Other Strategies

Avoid, Deny, Defend is just one response strategy to an active shooter event. Other strategies include:

How to Respond to a Bomb Threat

Most bomb threats are received by phone. Bomb threats are serious until proven otherwise. Act quickly, but remain calm and obtain relevant information.

If you receive a bomb threat via telephone:

  • Take the caller seriously.
  • Gain the attention of someone nearby and have the person call the University Police at 936.294.1000

  • Ask a lot of questions, such as:

    • When will the bomb explode?
    • Where is it?
    • What does it look like?
    • What kind of bomb is it?
    • What will cause it to explode?
    • Why was it placed in the building?
    • Did you place the bomb?
    • What is your name?

  • Observe the Caller. Try to identify the following about the caller:

    • Caller鈥檚 gender
    • Approximate age
    • Voice characteristics, accents, etc. Is the voice familiar?
    • Background noises
    • Treat language-educated, incoherent, foul, taped, read, etc.
    • Take notes on everything said and heard, including background noise, voice characteristics, etc.
  • Keep the caller on the line as long as possible by asking questions.
  • If the caller hangs up, do not use the telephone on which the threat was received.

If a bomb threat is received by email:

  • Forward the email to police@shsu.edu
  • Call University Police at 936.294.1000 or 911
  • Do not delete the message

If you receive a suspicious package, letter, or object, do not touch it, tamper with it, or move it. Report it to University Police at 936.294.1000. Suspicious package characteristics include:

  • Origin. Postmark does not match the city of the return address, name of the sender is unusual or unknown, or no return address given.
  • Balance. The letter is lopsided or unusually thick, the letter or package seems heavy for its size.
  • Contents. Stiffness or springiness of contents; protruding wires or components; oily outer wrappings or envelope; feels like it contains a powdery substance.
  • Smell. Particularly almond or other suspicious odors.
  • Writing. Handwriting indicates a foreign style not normally received, cut-and-past letters or rub on block letters are used. Common words, titles or names are misspelled.

If a bomb threat is received by handwritten note:

  • Handle note as minimally as possible.
  • Call the University Police Department at 936.294.1000