Recommendation:

Establish TAMT with a charter to allow the team to begin properly developing policies, processes, and guidelines. TAMT lead should meet with the President at least annually and on an as-needed basis.

Action Taken:

The charter is now finalized. The TAMT Charter recognizes TAMT as an official university resource with the authority to act on behalf of the university. The charter briefly describes TAMT's processes while also granting TAMT the authority to establish more detailed, specific standard operating procedures and guidelines. The team has established a consistent schedule of meetings between the TAMT director (or representative), chief safety officer, and the President.

Recommendation:

TAMT members should work with Counseling and Psych Services (CAPS) and the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) to identify opportunities for off-ramping to the appropriate units and opportunities to coordinate between the groups to provide greater insight for TAMT (or CAPS / BIT) intervention if deemed necessary in an assessment.

Action Taken:

TAMT, CAPS, and BIT each have dedicated representatives on TAMT, ensuring ongoing collaboration among the groups to offer valuable insights and interventions. TAMT also has multiple meetings scheduled in 2024 with CAPS staff to continue enhancing collaboration and understanding each others' roles and how best to support each other.

Recommendation:

Hire a TAMT Coordinator (who reports to the President's Office and is not attached directly to UAPD or OGC) to facilitate the TAMT meetings regularly and maintain a systemic structure for assessing and managing threats. Consideration for this position may be given to an early-career individual or someone who can oversee more than UAPD or OGC matters, but who also has a background in threat assessment and management similar to TAMT (i.e. Incident Command System protocol, Crisis Intervention and Law Enforcement, etc.)

Action Taken:

Dr. Jessie Semmann started as the TAMT director in August 2023. Dr. Semmann facilitates regular TAMT meetings. With the assistance of a case coordinator, she maintains a case management system to assess and manage reports that come into TAMT.

Recommendation:

Develop an implementation plan for the remaining 2018 TAMT External Report recommendations. 

Action Taken:

An internal implementation plan has been devised. Under the leadership of the TAMT director, necessary work has commenced in response to the remaining 2018 TAMT External Report recommendations. 

Recommendation:

TAMT should include at least one (1) communications person whose sole responsibility is to serve on TAMT.

Action Taken:

The Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Office of Public Safety is a member of TAMT. The PIO attends TAMT meetings and trainings. They provide communication expertise, assist in drafting and distributing messaging, and keep University Marketing and Communications apprised of situations that may require internal or external communication.

Recommendation:

TAMT should have resources available, such as a forensic psychologist or law enforcement resources, to contact subjects under review by TAMT.

Action Taken:

Additional members have been recruited to TAMT, including a forensic psychologist and members of UAPD.

Recommendation:

The Office of General Counsel should review and assess the legal aspects of deciding to mandate certain interventions around Code of Conduct and behavioral concerns. OGC should then proceed to provide clear guidelines to establish the use of mandatory utilization of mental health support in the resolution of Code of Conduct or behavioral concerns.

Action Taken:

The Office of the General Counsel conferred with the Dean of Students (DOS) to evaluate the legal and practical considerations for mandating behavioral health care and evaluations within the student disciplinary process. DOS and other campus units will continue to coordinate and develop options to promote and, if necessary, mandate mental health care within intervention and wellness programs.

Recommendation:

Ensure threat assessment processes include the following:

1. Prompt and thorough interviews of all those with information related to the situation including victims, associates, department heads, DOS, Provost Office, etc.
2. Interviews should seek to understand what, if any, support systems exist (i.e. family, friends) for the individual under assessment;
3. Complete a background check, scrub of social media, and review (or request for) TPD records;
4. Include Human Resources and external consultant at initiation; and
5. Continue to proactively seek information from all available sources and maintain it in a centralized manner (i.e. timeline or dashboard application)

Action Taken:

TAMT has developed an internal threat assessment process that effectively meets the requirements outlined in this PAX recommendation.

Recommendation:

Ensure current Family Educational Rights and and Privacy Act (FERPA) training clarifies accurate understanding of FERPA, privacy protections, and clear exceptions.

Action Taken:

The University engaged an independent, nationally recognized expert on FERPA to review all University internal FERPA training and informational materials as well as publicly available FERPA information. The Office of the Registrar and the Office of the General Counsel collaborated to revise these materials as needed, with a specific focus on clarifying health and safety exceptions and privacy expectations. The University community is encouraged to visit the Office of the Registrar webpage for more information.

Recommendation:

Develop a six-month, strategic post-crisis plan from the CAPS and Life & Work Connections, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications teams. These plans should not be incident-specific but should develop clear guidelines for responding to a crisis from each unit’s perspective, how to provide for the safety and security of individuals with various accessibility needs, and how the University can work cohesively in that response. Plans should include methods of providing support and maintaining a productive relationship with individuals who are directly involved in an incident.

Action Taken:

Based on recommendations from the Student and Employee Support working group, the Campus Emergency Response Plan (CERP), which includes guidelines for University crisis response, was updated to include student, employee and external campus community support sections. In addition, new guidance on disability access was incorporated throughout the CERP.

Recommendation:

Conduct quarterly Crisis Management exercises with TAMT and CIRT not only for the benefit of those teams but also to practice how to apprise Senior Leadership of what is going on within those groups. The University should include a drill involving a similar situation as October 5 into one of these.

Action Taken:

June 2023: The University of Arizona held a tabletop discussion exercise designed and facilitated to integrate leadership of CIRT and the newly formed Office of Public Safety. Participants discussed how their teams would collaborate and contribute during Active Shooter and Hazardous Materials events. Executive leadership participated. 

October 2023: Critical Incident Response Team Working Group command and general staff exercise. The UA Emergency Operations Center was activated as part of the October exercise and executive leadership was invited to attend.

February 2024: Electronic Door Lock Functional Exercise involving building managers and staff from Bear Down and Bartlett Academic Success Center buildings, UAPD, Facilities Management, Emergency Management, and AMER-X Security. This was the first Electronic Door Lock Functional Exercise conducted in 2024 and was offered to all building managers. 

The Office of Public Safety is currently planning 2024 quarterly training in accordance with PAX recommendations. 

Recommendation:

Continue to host listening sessions and facilitate discussions with those directly affected. Groups should be scheduled in terms of priority: those directly involved in the situation; those with knowledge of the situation; and the community at large.

Action Taken:

The Chief Safety Officer and members of the Office of Public Safety are regularly engaging with faculty, staff and students. As of March 2024, quarterly meetings are being planned. Meetings have been held and are still being scheduled with various groups including those impacted by the events of October 5, 2022. 

Recommendation:

Review existing policies and programs to identify ways to simplify how students, faculty, and staff can engage with support resources especially during high-stress times. Considerations should be given to “lessons learned” through prior experience.

Action Taken:

A Student and Employee Support working group was convened with over 40 members, including employees from University units that provide support services and representatives from Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences (HAS) and Engineering departments in Harshbarger/Mines. The working group reviewed existing policies and programs that support students and employees and made recommendations for improvement. Recommendations are being implemented by University units. 

Recommendation:

Review and assess use of background checks for all faculty, staff and volunteers at University to include postdoctoral positions. 

Action Taken:

An assessment of the use of background checks has been completed. Effective July 1, 2023, the University’s Pre-Employment Screening Policy was amended to require Graduate Assistants/Associates (GAs) to successfully complete a Name-Based Criminal Record Background Check.

Recommendation:

Require all department faculty and staff to go through improved onboarding and annual safety training to establish a more consistent and coordinated response from all on campus during a crisis. Annual training should include tabletop training for key leadership at the University.

Action Taken:

All University of Arizona part-time and full-time faculty and staff members, student workers, graduate assistants and associates and postdoctoral fellows are required to complete Safety Preparedness Training: Active Shooter annually. UAPD offers in-person active shooter training, situational awareness training, and building assessments. Additional training regarding threat assessment is being developed.  

University leaders participated in a tabletop exercise as part of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) in June 2023. Additional annual trainings are being scheduled for the CIRT executive team and CIRT working group. This item will be on-going. As the university continues to develop more training opportunities, the Office of Public Safety will determine the need to require the training for everyone. 

Recommendation:

Assess and enhance access control technology and alert systems across all department buildings on campus. Prioritize buildings based on risk, threat, building design, population, and identified vulnerability of users.

Action Taken:

The University of Arizona has assessed control technology and alert systems across all department buildings. Improvements include: additional classroom message boards, installation of classroom locks in all buildings (completed  November 2023), installation of duress buttons, Babcock perimeter security fence (July 2023).

Fire drills were successfully conducted in all on-campus residence halls (October 2023). Annual fire drills are required and will be conducted along with additional requested fire drills.

Due to the age of buildings, keyless access will take two years to complete. Installation of bullet/riot/smash-resistant glass is being reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Additional safety measures are being considered and safety assessments will continue to occur regularly. 

Recommendation:

Establish a Public Safety unit/leader with responsibility for Crisis Management, Response, and Training, including the planning, management, coordination, and implementation of any building/department-specific crisis and emergency plans across all University campuses.

Action Taken:

The Office of Public Safety at the University of Arizona was established in May 2023, with Steve Patterson named vice president and interim chief safety officer. Patterson was permanently appointed in February 2024. Through a comprehensive approach encompassing education, awareness, and enforcement, the OPS team, consisting of the University of Arizona Police Department, the Threat Assessment & Management Team, Facilities Management, Risk Management, Parking & Transportation, and Emergency Management, strives to maintain a safe, inclusive and supportive community. Members of the Office of Public Safety routinely work in coordination with and benefit from the support of several other units including but not limited to, the Dean of Students Office, Human Resources, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and Counseling & Psych Services. 

Recommendation:

Require each building and department on all of the University’s campuses to work with UAPD, Emergency Operations, and Facilities Management on building and department-specific lockdown / crisis response implementation, accounting for any special accessibility needs (e.g., disabilities or international visitors). The University should establish a tiered approach to this recommendation and begin with the spaces that are higher risk for disruptive behavior (i.e. Financial Aid, Dean of Students, Human Resources, CAPS, etc.).

Action Taken:

All University buildings are now required to have building emergency plans. Building managers submit the plans to the Office of Emergency Management. The plans are updated annually and available online to all faculty, staff and students with a NetID.

As of March 2024, more than 225 individual campus building emergency plans have been completed or updated with guidance from the Office of Emergency Management, UAPD, Risk Management, and Facilities Management working with building managers. Building emergency plans include specific building exits, evacuation routes and assembly points, ADA (wheelchair) accessible secure room locations, AED & medical kit locations, duress button locations, controlled point of entry for buildings, and differences between "lockdown" and "shelter in place."   

Additionally, all-hazards emergency posters have been installed in classrooms and elsewhere on campus, emergency plans have been added to syllabi, and campus safety walkthroughs are being conducted on a regular basis by the Office of Public Safety. 

Recommendation:

UAPD should continue active threat training and find ways to adapt and encourage even those members of the community who may be more hesitant to participate.

Action Taken:

All part-time and full-time University faculty and staff members, student workers, graduate assistants and associates and postdoctoral fellows are required to complete annual Active Shooter Preparedness Training. Regular communications from UAPD and the Office of Public Safety highlight safety training and safety presentations offered by UAPD. The communications encourage the campus community to complete the trainings and contact community engagement officers to schedule various safety presentations.

Recommendation:

UAPD should continue implementing recommendations from prior evaluations and continue developing partnerships with local law enforcement agencies to build better cooperation and communication to protect the campus and the community surrounding the University. Examples: host regional law enforcement officers for a monthly meeting; establish data, intel and coordination meetings; and better leverage officers assigned to FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force  and other task forces.

Action Taken:

• UAPD has successfully implemented recommendations from prior evaluations and is actively fostering partnerships various law enforcement agencies.
• UAPD has maintained strong partnerships in the region and participates in regional training efforts tied to Pima Regional SWAT, Pima Regional Crisis Negotiations Team, and the Pima Regional Critical Incident Response Team. UAPD works with the FBI JTTF, and the FBI Violent Crimes Unit.
• Command members meet quarterly with the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Managers (SALEM) and participate in conferences hosted by the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.
• UAPD organized a regional crime analyst group that meets quarterly to share data and crime information among public safety partners.
• Tucson Public Safety Communications has established a geo-fence that alerts UAPD dispatch of concerning and violent crimes occurring outside of general patrol boundaries. This will allow UAPD to be more aware of crime near and adjacent to campus so they may properly evaluate the need to respond or to send out a UAlert.

Recommendation:

Audit the Special Investigations Unit ("SIU") workload, cases, personnel, and investigative work processes to assess capacity to manage the current SIU caseload and coordinate with TAMT, Dean Of Students, TPD, FBI JTTF, and community mental health resources. Increase supervision and oversight of the SIU to ensure timely, empathetic, effective responses and complete investigations and prioritize support of threat-related investigation.

Action Taken:

An audit of the UAPD Special Investigations Unit (SIU) revealed that UAPD did not experience a high volume of sensitive cases to justify a dedicated unit. In many instances, detectives in the investigation unit assisted SIU and were involved when SIU detectives were unavailable. In January 2023, SIU was discontinued and all investigative follow up was assigned to the investigations unit. In addition, UAPD started a Victim Advocacy Program. This program provides victims with a trauma-informed advocate to support them through the investigative process. 

Recommendation:

Central Marketing and Communications team should work with UAPD Community Engagement Officers to establish a tiered program to reimplement campus engagement with police officers for the purposes of establishing rapport with the community.

Action Taken:

The University Marketing and Communications team, in collaboration with UAPD Community Engagement Officers, implemented a tiered program to reinvigorate campus engagement with police officers and establish stronger rapport within the community. This initiative includes community engagement and the creation and utilization of a shared calendar, highlighting key events and activities of UAPD's Community Engagement Unit. The implementation of campus community events is designed to create meaningful opportunities for interaction and relationship building between police officers and the campus community. 

Additional campus engagement initiatives include:

UAPD Community Academy: In January 2024, UAPD launched the UAPD Community Academy to engage the University community. During the free series of weekly classes, sworn police personnel and civilian staff from different areas of UAPD provide a comprehensive overview of their duties and responsibilities, from patrol operations and criminal investigations to regional partnerships with law enforcement agencies. The inaugural academy in Spring 2024, open to faculty and staff, filled up in a matter of days. Future sessions may include students.

Blue Envelope Program: This traffic safety program is designed to promote inclusivity by serving as an enhanced communication awareness tool between law enforcement and community members with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Blue Envelope Program works by allowing an individual to readily display a Blue Envelope upon contact with law enforcement during traffic stops to indicate need for accommodation or awareness. UAPD will introduce and train officers across Southern Arizona on the Blue Envelope Program during summer 2024. 

Recommendation:

UAPD should demonstrate progress on its website in the implementation of Margolis Healy report recommendations.

Action Taken:

UAPD has demonstrated progress in the implementation of Margolis Healy report recommendations by creating and maintaining the Margolis Healy Recommendations Implementation Progress page on its website.

Recommendation:

Centralize Communications and hire a permanent SVP of communications, who aligns strategically with leadership and is a professional communicator. Align the entire department by establishing a “dotted” reporting line (i.e. a secondary manager) for all communicators to the Central Communications team for every unit at the University. These individuals will serve as a centralized unit with professionals permanently embedded within key departments throughout the University.

Action Taken:

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Brad Bohlander began in September 2023. Bohlander announced in March 2024 he accepted a position at a university in Colorado in order to move closer to family for personal reasons. 

A strategy for how the University will address the process of centralizing of communications and marketing functions across the institution will be presented to University leadership by June 30, 2024.

Recommendation:

In conjunction with UAPD Communications / Public Relations, develop pre-planned responses that can be tailored with incident specifics to better manage communication during a crisis. Prior coordination will improve communications to the community in a crisis while better protecting law enforcement intelligence.

Action Taken:

• Templates for UAlert scenarios were created and are being utilized. Prior coordination around how and when to use the templates was successful.
• Clery Timely Warning templates are complete and being utilized.
• A central repository for crisis communications was created, which includes pre-planned responses and wording for various scenarios.
• Communicators have participated in training with CIRT and others on how to communicate effectively during a crisis.

Recommendation:

Streamline communications channels and technology by updating the UAlert system to include mandatory opt-in for all University students, faculty and employees. (University Initiative underway) Review appropriate ownership for sending UAlert communications and review policies and procedures for using the system.

Action Taken:

The UAlert system, policies and procedures have been reviewed and updated. All current University students, employees, and designated campus colleagues (DCCs) are automatically subscribed to receive UAlert notifications via their University email address. Current students, employees and DCCs who list a cell number in UAccess are registered to receive UAlert notifications via text message. Instructions and FAQs for UAlert registration are provided. The UAlert message now includes a link to a Google map location.

Recommendation:

Streamline communications channels and technology by aligning email databases for students, faculty and employees to reside in one master database for use during a crisis.

Action Taken:

Databases have been aligned into a master database for use during a crisis through Trellis CRM.

Recommendation:

Establish a formal communications role to serve on TAMT.

Action Taken:

The Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Office of Public Safety is a member of TAMT. The PIO attends TAMT meetings and trainings. They provide communication expertise, assist in drafting and distributing messaging, and keep University Marketing and Communications apprised of any situations that may require internal or external communication. 

Recommendation:

Create a plan for cascading communications during moments of crisis to ensure that one message, one voice is heard throughout the entire University community.

Action Taken:

Cascading communications and streamlining statement approvals are part of the crisis communications plan. A flow chart showing cascading communications following a UAlert was created in Summer 2023. In addition, UAPD structural changes helped streamline the statement approval process.

Recommendation:

Write, rehearse and follow a coordinated crisis communications plan and protocol for all threats and crises at the University.

Action Taken:

Crisis communications is a critical, visible and impactful part of crisis management, and a core component of the University's Emergency, Crisis and Issues Management ecosystem. The University Marketing and Communications team, in collaboration with the Office of Public Safety and communicators across campus, is responsible for leading this critical task.  

A coordinated crisis communications plan for the University of Arizona was written and reviewed. The plan lays out a documented crisis communications process for effective, coordinated and timely communications in response to events or issues. The crisis communications team participated in the October 2023 Critical Incident Response Team Working Group command and general staff exercise as noted under University Crisis Response #2. A rehearsal specific to the crisis communications plan is in process for May 2024. Rehearsals covering various scenarios will be scheduled quarterly. 

Recommendation:

Begin developing communications campaigns around the following topics: 

• Mental Health Support: In conjunction with CAPS and Human Resources, establish a one-page communication (for both units) which outlines the services and capabilities of CAPS and the Employee Assistance Program. This communication should include a “What to Expect” section should services be sought by the community. The communication should be shared with all unit or department leads (i.e. Deans, Directors, VPs, etc.) and then circulated internally within each department. We recommend formalizing, creating, and executing on-going assessments for resources needed for counseling and mental health support.
• Campus Safety: Create a community-wide safety campaign to prioritize safety at the University.
• UAlert: In conjunction with UAPD, develop a campaign to sensitize the community to the fact that the UAlert or any future crisis communication system cannot give specific direction for all situations or all locations. Training and resources (such as notifications of upcoming public webinars around safety and security; books; etc.) around Situational Awareness, Personal Safety, and Crisis Response should be available to the community to plan for future incidents.
• TAMT Familiarization: Develop a campaign to educate the University community on the role and capabilities of TAMT, including how to report concerns and what can generally be expected throughout the process.

Action Taken:

The communication campaign “Wildcats Take Care” has been developed to promote mental health awareness and services, familiarity with Threat Assessment and Management Team, UAlert and campus safety. The campaign launched mid-October 2023. This campaign incorporates a variety of University channels including social media, student publications and web.

Recommendation:

Establish a communications campaign around the importance of maintaining streamlined, centralized communications across campus. It should be emphasized that centralization of communications is not the silencing of voices or opinions but, instead, it allows the community to align on messaging in moments of threat and crisis.

Action Taken:

The Crisis Communications Advisory Committee meets quarterly to discuss and evolve best practices for centralized crisis communications. A communications campaign has been successfully launched to emphasize the significance of maintaining streamlined, centralized communications across campus. Efforts include various presentations and speaking engagements with University communicators, faculty, staff and university leaders.