Active Threat Preparedness Resources

In March 2023 the university, in collaboration with the UIC Police Department, hosted a series of Active Threat Preparedness Seminars to better prepare the UIC community to effectively respond in the event of an active threat on campus. Resources and materials collected from the seminars are available on this page.

For more information, please contact the UIC Police Department (uicpd@uic.edu | 312-996-2830) and/or the UIC Office of Preparedness and Response (ready@uic.edu).

Frequently Asked Questions Heading link

  • The Active Threat video mentions that individuals in an active threat environment should keep their hands up and remain quiet when police arrive; how will police know who or where the threat is if this is the directive?
    • The responding Officers will react to any information and intelligence about the offender’s description received via phone, SAFE app, emergency call boxes, witnesses, and victims on scene to specify who to engage during an active scene.

 

  • What do we do if we are in an active threat situation and someone with whom we are hiding cannot remain quiet?
    • If someone you are with cannot remain quiet; we recommend all parties to re-enforce the entry points of the barricaded area they are in to restrict entry into the space. If this option is not feasible, prepare yourselves to engage and survive. Each incident is different. Use your best judgment to survive.

 

  • Are there early signs we can look for when detecting if someone could eventually “become” an active shooter or a violent person on campus?
    • There are behavioral indicators that could be used to suspect someone of becoming violent. Based on the S. Department of Homeland Security, below are suggested indicators that can be used to detect potential warning signs:
      • Increasingly erratic, unsafe, or aggressive behaviors.
      • Hostile behavior-based on claims of injustice or perceived wrongdoing.
      • Drug and alcohol abuse.
      • Claims of marginalization or distancing from friends and colleagues.
      • Changes in performance at work.
      • Sudden and dramatic changes in home life or in personality.
      • Financial difficulties.
      • Pending civil or criminal litigation.
      • Observable grievances and making statements of retribution.
    • The UIC community has access to Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams (BTAT) who are faculty and staff trained in conducting fact-based threat assessments and coordinating support services for persons exhibiting, or being affected by, behaviors of concern. To find more information on the university’s BTAT, please visit https://ready.uic.edu/planning/violence-prevention/btat/.

 

  • Best practices suggest trying to barricade or jam the door to the room in which you are hiding shut with items in the room and/or a doorstop. However, most classrooms do not have a doorstop, are there efforts to equip every classroom with a doorstop?
    • We are in discussions with Facilities Management to work through the logistics of implementing this suggested option. In the meantime, we highly recommend you contact the Building Manager of the workspace you occupy and express desire for access to the doorstoppers for your space.

 

  • What is recommended if you cannot barricade/lock the door?
    • Attempt to conceal yourself (hide) to the best of your ability. Lastly, if this option is not feasible, prepare to engage and survive.

 

  • Should you ever pull the fire alarm during an active threat situation?
    • We suggest that you do not pull the fire alarm in these circumstances unless you see fire and/or smell smoke. In past violent encounters, the offenders have active fire alarms as a strategy to have people exit their barricaded areas into common areas to make them vulnerable targets.

 

  • Is it safe to use the elevator during an active threat situation?
    • If there is no indication of fire, entering an elevator and activating the emergency stop button may be an option to barricade and hide. Each incident is different. Use your best judgment to survive.

 

  • What measures are in place to ensure that the mistakes made in the response to the Uvalde tragedy do not happen here?
    • UIC Police Officers have intentional training throughout the year to enhance response to active threats. Officers are trained to engage immediately and eliminate the threat, not to hold and wait on additional resources and/or information.

 

  • I am having trouble accessing/using the UIC SAFE app on my mobile device (iOS, Android, and/or Google Play).

 

  • How often is the app updated?

 

  • Why do you need to log in with you UIC credentials to access the UIC SAFE app?
    • The UIC SAFE app is restricted to use only by the UIC community, and as such, UIC credentials are required.
  • If at the Law school or an off-campus location, which phone # should we use to contact UICPD?
    1. The Law School should contact 911 and/or activate the panic button via SAFE app depending on the circumstances.

 

  • How does UICPD respond to mental health crises? Is there a different protocol and/or response team? Does dispatch know how to triage for this?
    • The majority of UIC Police Officers have received the state-certified Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. CIT training is a one week / 40-hour training program on responding and assisting individuals in the community who have a mental illness or other behavioral disability. There is not a different response team, the responding Officers will utilize their CIT training skills to determine what level of care an individual needs. Based on the initial call received via dispatch, UIC Police Dispatchers will triage mental health calls and inform the responding Officers of mental health indications.

 

  • Where can StarTel stations be found on campus in Chicago? In Rockford?
    • To find where the exterior StarTels ballards are located on the Chicago campus you can visit maps.uic.edu, select “Transit,” select “Accessibility” then select “Emergency Phones.”
    • Please contact the Director of Security of the Rockford campus to obtain Rockford specific information.

 

  • Do StarTel stations have cameras?
    • Some, not all, StarTels are equipped with cameras. UIC is in the process of transitioning the majority of the StarTels to have cameras.

 

  • Some departments have StarTel buttons at their desks, which departments have these and how can others get them?
    • Please contact the StarTel Foreman from Technology Solutions for inquiries regarding obtaining StarTel buttons.

 

  • Do any lecture centers or classrooms have panic buttons at the lectern? If no, are there plans to equip classrooms with them?
    • Some, not all, lecture halls are equipped with panic buttons. If there is no panic button located within the lecture hall, anyone can dial extension 5-5555 on any landline located within the class that will give direct access to the UIC Police Emergency Dispatch Center.

 

  • Are there metal detectors in the hospital or clinics?
    • UI Hospital has implemented a weapon detection system at specific entry points. UI Health clinics do not currently have this system in place.

 

  • How should individuals report suspicious activity?
    • Individuals should report suspicious activity to UIC Police via phone, SAFE app chat feature, and emergency call boxes. If the suspicious activity is not imminent, individuals can utilize the UIC Anonymous Incident Reporting Form which is located https://uic.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bK3ZPusseKxkro9. When reporting please be as descriptive as possible.

 

  • How far does UIC Night Ride extend?

 

  • Are there any updates/upgrades planned for UIC Law to install the blue StarTel stations seen elsewhere at UIC?
    • There are discussions on best practices to enhance public safety measures at The Law School, including emergency notification devices. In the meantime, the Law School should contact 911 and/or activate the panic button via SAFE app depending on the circumstances.

 

 

  • My location on campus during the winter is dark and isolated, if I feel unsafe can I request a ride or some form of safety check?
    • You can request a walking escort on campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by contacting the UIC Police Department at 312-996-2830. You can also use the “Work Alone” feature on the SAFE app for check -ins.

 

  • What do I do if an individual who is not affiliated with UIC comes into our space and refuses to leave?
    • If on campus, contact the UIC Police Department on extension 5-5555 on any landline as soon as feasibly possible, active a panic button/emergency call box, or active the panic button on the SAFE app to initiate a police response. If off campus dial 911 to activate a police response.

 

 

  • Are self-defense items, like pepper spray, allowed on campus and in Chicago?
    • It is not unlawful or against policy to have possession of pepper spray. According to 430 ILCS 65/2, Tasers and/or stun guns are unlawful to possess without a Firearm Owners’ Identification Card (known as an FOID) in Illinois. These items are also against UIC policy.