By Rachel Allen
rallen19@uwyo.edu
Upon a gunman putting Casper College on high alert until early this week, UW is readily prepared to address similar situations.
Dakota Lee Hawkins turned himself in on Oct. 19, upon being reported in the Casper Star Tribune as having pointed a gun at several people before fleeing toward nearby campuses.
University of Wyoming Chief of Police Mike Samp said violent crime on the UW campus is not prevalent,
“We have very few even felony level crimes on campus,” he said. “Crimes of violence are rare.”
The police department takes measures to prevent crimes of violence as much as possible. “We have a student concerns team that works to identify people that are having stressors in their life that would lead to that… before something could escalate to that,” Samp said. Samp gave examples of stressors such as struggling socially, struggling academically or substance abuse. He said the student concerns team works with other departments like the police and the counseling center in order to prevent crimes of violence on campus.
In the case of an active shooter or serious threat, Samp said the UWPD has a broad-based plan for dealing with intruders.
“Every summer we hold training with between six to seven agencies and up to 100 officers to ensure that we can respond efficiently,” he said.
According to the University of Wyoming Emergency Preparedness and Response Guide, there are several steps students can take when faced with an active shooter. These steps range from how to properly make an escape to taking cover and finding shelter. Students should not engage the intruder or respond to unknown voices until it is confirmed as a law enforcement officer.
Samp said it is important for students to reach out.
“See something, say something,” he said, “We’ve got multiple ways to contact departments.”
Samp said if someone is acting abnormal, distancing or talking excessively about guns or violence, students should contact someone as soon as possible.
“If those folks aren’t brought to our attention as a University, we can’t get them plugged into the system,” Samp said.
The University of Wyoming has several resources for students who wish to report suspicious activity or be alerted to potential dangers. UW Alert provides notifications for students when emergencies occur. The Alert system sends text alerts to students, faculty and staff if there is a threat or intruder on campus.
Students can report suspicious persons and suspicious activity with a “Silent Witness” form online, by using the text tips program to anonymously text the UW police, or by calling the UWPD, which is available year round at all hours.
All of this information can be found on the University of Wyoming website on the campus safety page.
