Citation

Cao Y, Yang J, Ramirez MR, Peek-Asa CL. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2013; 55(1): 45-51.

Affiliation

From the Departments of Epidemiology (Ms Cao), Community and Behavioral Health (Dr Yang), and Occupational and Environmental Health (Drs Ramirez and Peek-Asa), University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa City, Iowa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JOM.0b013e31826bb66a

PMID

23207741

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: In response to concerns about campus violence, universities are implementing threat assessment teams. In 2008, a large university's new threat assessment team began to identify and respond to potentially harmful situations. METHODS:: Events that involved the threat assessment team from August 2008 through December 2010 were examined to describe subjects, referral sources, and team actions. RESULTS:: The team responded to 284 events-approximately 10 per month. Employees were the subject in 21.5% of events, students in 60.2%, and visitors in 18.3%. External threats, including assaults, threats, harassment, and stalking, comprised 49.5% of cases, and internal threats, including suicide attempt/ideation and mental health or behavior concerns, comprised 50.5%. CONCLUSION:: The university team responded to a wide variety of events referred from multiple units across campus and that involved a combination of employees, students, and visitors.

Language: en