On Thursday, December 4, the library and the Getaway were closed because of a bombed threat.
Following the incident, Dennis McCauley, the Executive Director of Security and Safety for BCCC, shed light on the threat and the ways in which that school security and the Newtown police dealt with the threat in an interview.
A student reported that he was arriving for class on Wednesday afternoon. While on the walkway that runs from Student Lot B toward the side of Gateway, he passed two males, believed to be students, heading in the opposite direction.
As they passed him, he heard one of the males make a comment to the effect that a bomb would go off in the Library on Thursday and not to go to school that day. The identities of these individuals are unknown at this time but are the subject of an active investigation.
The student related the information to a faculty member on Wednesday afternoon. The faculty member contacted Security.
After interviewing the student, we immediately contacted the Newtown Township Police Department; officers responded and once again interviewed the student.
There is a protocol; security will gather all available information such as location and timing of the threat and make a determination on how to proceed.
Depending upon the information contained in the threat, there are a various decisions that need to be made such as evacuation, building closure, notification to the campus community, etc. Security always notify the police in these situations.
They kept the Library and Gateway closed on Thursday while four bomb dogs searched the buildings. The dogs finished their work late morning and we issued the all-clear notification just after noon.
The buildings were reopened at 1:00 p.m. Students are very grateful to the Bucks County law enforcement community for their assistance in this situation. Newtown Township Police had several officers involved, including the Chief of Police.
The search was conducted by bomb dogs and their handler officers from Lower Makefield, Quakertown, Middletown, and Bristol Township.
The entire campus community was alerted to the threat through a variety of channels. These included: e2campus text messages and emails, a banner on the Bucks.edu homepage, postings on the College’s Facebook and Twitter pages, and postings on the student and employee portals.
In addition, security officers posted around all entrances to the buildings. It is strongly encourage to any student who has not yet signed up for e2campus alerts to do so. It is Bucks best tool for getting emergency information out to students quickly. It’s very easy to sign up, just text the word Bucks to 79516.
As happened in this case, students who become aware of any threats should report that information to Security immediately. If an alert is issued, follow the instructions in the alert. And once again, make sure to sign up for e2campus.
There had been many incidents that occurred on college campuses, most notably the shooting at Umpqua Community College. As indicated by McCauley, it is of utmost importance for students to sign up for e2campus alerts so that they could be aware if there is something happening on campus.
Although school security and the Newtown police would try to do their best to neutralize any threats, students would also need to be proactive in ensuring their safety.