NCJ Number
242630
Date Published
September 2010
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This report by the University of Texas at Austin Police Department examines the University's response to the active shooter/suicide incident of September 28, 2010 that occurred on the school's campus.
Abstract
On September 28, 2010, an individual armed with an AK-47 fired 11 shots on The University of Texas at Austin campus, without injuring anyone, before entering the school's library and committing suicide. The report was compiled by the school's police department to examine the events of that day and the University's response to the event. Findings from the investigation into the University's response include the following: the school's Incident Command System worked well and was established within minutes of the initial 911 call, with the leadership and unified command across multi-jurisdictional agencies responding effectively to the incident. In addition the management and integration of multi-agency resources and cooperation from surrounding agencies exceeded expectations. The preparation and training for the possibility of an active shooter event on campus meant that the campus police department was well equipped and adequately prepared to handle the situation; and establishment of an emergency communication/notification system following the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings ensured that school administrators were able to actively communicate with students, faculty, and staff during the event. The investigation also examined areas that need improvement. These areas include communications, which did not often run as smoothly as hoped; confusion within the fixed and mobile command units as to placement of the units and who was required to report to the units; lack of clear communication between the media and the department's public information officer; and lack of staffing by the University's police department for the communications center operations. The report also presents the results of a review of six functional areas of the University's response team: first response, command post, crime scene, emergency operations center, communications center-dispatch, and public information officer. The report includes information on what worked and what needs improvement in these six areas. Tables and photographs