Critical Incidents
The UTC Police Department trains consistently for critical incidents and other emergency situations. We feel that equipping you with this information is vital, should an incident ever occur.
This page provides guidance to faculty, staff, students, and visitors who may be caught in an active shooting, bomb threat or hostage situation. The police response to each of these situations is different.
Active Shooter Guidelines
RUN, HIDE, FIGHT and Responding to an Active Shooter
An “active shooter” is a person or persons who appear to be actively killing or attempting to kill people in a single location. These situations are dynamic in nature and require immediate action by law enforcement personnel to stop the shooter.
Bomb Threat
Bomb threats usually occur by telephone. If you receive a call that turns out to be a bomb threat, follow these guidelines:
- Try to keep the caller on the line as long as possible.
- Try to stay calm and obtain as much information as possible by using the checklist below.
- Contact UTC Police Department (423-425-4357) immediately and give them any information you were able to obtain from the caller, as well as what time you received the call, and where you are calling from.
- Inform your supervisor or department head.
- The police will be responsible for building evacuation.
- If you are instructed to evacuate the building, move a safe distance away from the building. Do not re-enter the building until told that it is safe to do so by authorized personnel.
- If you should see a suspicious object or package, report it to UTC Police by calling our Emergency Communications Center at 423-425-5741. DO NOT TOUCH it or move it in any way.
- You will be asked to fill out the following form if you received the threat by phone: Bomb Threat Call Form.
Emergency Response Guide
Knowing the best responses to probable threats is critical both to protecting lives and minimizing an emergency's impact on our campus community. Please read and bookmark or print this guide for quick reference.
Hostage
How one responds in a hostage situation will be determined by the specific circumstances of the encounter. If you find yourself involved in such a situation, try to remain calm. It is generally recommended that you follow the directions of the hostage-taker.
Police response to this situation is different from that of an active shooter event. The police will not proceed immediately into the situation but will surround the area and attempt to set up negotiations with the hostage-taker. A hostage situation could last for hours or days. The ultimate goal is for the hostage-taker to release all hostages and peacefully surrender to the police.
If the hostage-taker begins to kill or injure people or if the negotiators believe the hostage-taker is about to start killing or injuring people, police response will change. They will likely respond immediately to stop the shooter.