A Note About the Suspicious Activity Last Friday
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Last Friday morning, UTHSC Campus Police sent out an emergency alert asking occupants of the General Education Building and the CHIPS Building to evacuate due to a suspicious device. Almost three hours later, after a comprehensive evaluation of the contents discovered by UTHSC Campus Police and the Memphis Police Department's Bomb Unit, an "all clear" alert was sent out.
I reflected on the event over the weekend, and wanted to share two thoughts:
- Our campus community should continue to be vigilant when something on our campus seems at all suspicious – but we should also strive to make sure we are not creating a suspicious-looking scenario by failing to properly discard our wasted materials. Being mindful of our footprint on campus should include a careful inspection that we leave campus better than how we found it.
- I was very impressed with the quickness and thoroughness of our UTHSC Campus Police and their counterparts at MPD. Our campus is ranked as the #9 safest college in America according to alarms.org for good reason – our UTHSC Campus Police respond quickly and make sure our campus is safe for all of us every single day. Huge thank you to Chief Berryhill, Deputy Chief Knight, and their entire team!
The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is always a priority and we will continue to be vigilant, engaged, and supportive. Please visit our Public Safety on Campus website for more information and to view previous safety messages.
Many thanks for all you do to make our environment a safe, welcoming, and engaging place to learn and work,
Peter Buckley, MD
Chancellor