9:55 a.m. Buckeye Alert! Emergency on Columbus campus: More info soon. Shelter in place / be observant / take action as needed. Public Safety responding.
9:56 a.m. Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College.
So read the Buckeye Alert System messages that began the day yesterday on the Ohio State University Campus. An attacker reportedly plowed into a crowd with his car and began stabbing random bystanders with a butcher knife according to OSU police. The attacker was shot and killed less than a minute later police said.
The Buckeye Alert system that sent the horrific messages was installed in 2008, by Twenty First Century Communications, now part of the West Corporation, and is one of many tools that OSU Public Safety can use to notify the campus communities of an ongoing emergency. A cross platform notification system, it allows the university to reach out to students and staff over nearly two dozen communication methods.
Up to four times a year, OSU may send out an email to the email address supplied by the recipient to confirm that they wish to remain in the system.
According to an OSU-based description of the service, “This system will ONLY be activated if you need to take immediate action to remain safe and secure. If you wish to be notified of other situations and events that generally do not require immediate action, you may want to sign up for Crime Alerts.”
November 29, 2016
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