Departmental Safety Plan

It is a good idea to set up a departmental safety plan. For example, if you think that a student has been threatening to you in the past and she/he shows up at your office, you may need help in dealing with the student. Quite often it is the people you work with and who are in closest physical proximity who can provide the help you need. The following section will help you to define a security plan for your department.

Security Plan

First and foremost, call the campus police department at 827-5222 to help with setting up a plan. The following are the kinds of behavior you should be concerned with:

• Unwilling to leave the building
• Interrupting the business of the department
• Bizarre statements/actions
• Angry/verbally abusive/yelling
• Behaving suspiciously
• Threatening
• Violent

There are at least three types of responses open to you:

Individual response

• Do what you can to get the person to stop the behavior; try to handle it yourself
• If the person is there and violent or potentially violent, call the police (9-911)

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Get assistance from others within your department and elsewhere in the building

• Have someone come and stand near you for support
• Have someone come to help you deal with the person
• Call or speed-dial a designated person for help
• Have someone find a designated person to help

Get assistance from the campus police (in cases of violent or potentially violent behaviors)

• Push the panic button* (if available in your office) or call 9-911
• Have another person push the panic button or call 9-911
• Retreat to a locked office or another safe space while waiting for the police

* A panic button is a device located in a critical area(s) of your workspace that, when pressed, will alert a designated person or police that you need help.

Questions to Consider as You Develop Your Departmental Safety Plan

1) What specific areas do we need to prepare in our department?

• Reception
• Individual offices

How can we in the department help each other when faced with difficult situations?

• What will the procedures be for getting help from others within our area?
• What do we expect of the person when she/he comes to a colleague's assistance?

3) When we need another level of assistance - more than can be provided from within our department?

• Who will be our designated "helpers," and are they readily available?
• How will we reach them?

4) What should someone do while waiting for help?

5) What should the protocol be if someone observes an individual disturbing other people by yelling, acting bizarrely, etc.?

6) How will we coordinate planning and support with nearby departments?

7) What does our department need to carry out these plans?

8) What kinds of training do we need, what do we think would help?

An Example of a Possible Scenario

You are a department secretary. Yesterday, a student came in demanding to see Dr. X. When you told him that Dr. X was unavailable, he began to shout at you and call Dr. X names. The student then stormed out of the office. Today, the same student walks into your office again.

• How could you have prepared for this?
• What do you do?

This scenario (or one that may be more appropriate for your specific department) discussed in your group setting can help you prepare and implement a safety plan.