OU and local law enforcement prepare for increasing violence on campus

A 2023 report from the Ohio University Office of Emergency Management compared criminal activity on campus and in the surrounding communities over the past three years. The results show that 2021 had the highest crime rate overall, but also that 2022 had the highest crime rate in 10 of the 20 categories examined.

The study was conducted in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to record certain crime statistics and public safety policies and to address a trend of increasing violence on college campuses.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 3.44 crimes were reported per 10,000 students in the 2020 school year. In 2022, that number is nearly 5. The newest type of crime on the emergency response radar is swatting.

The FBI defines swatting as any emergency call that simulates an emergency in order to provoke a police response.

According to Evan Wilkof, community engagement officer for the Ohio University Police Department, OU received four or five swatting calls in the last year alone. He says swatting includes a variety of emergencies such as active shooters, biological agents, downed planes and bomb threats.

“Swatting calls are a relatively new type of crime being observed by law enforcement,” Wilkof said. “The majority of these calls come from overseas, particularly from countries that do not have a reciprocal law enforcement agreement with the United States. This makes it incredibly difficult to successfully conduct criminal investigations or cooperate with their law enforcement agencies, even if we were to locate them.”

Wilkof noted that swatting is considered a serious offense in Ohio. Because police officers and citizens have been injured, Ohio lawmakers have increased penalties for those found guilty of swatting.

“For anyone found guilty of swatting, it's a fourth-degree crime,” Wilkof said. “If someone is seriously harmed … it's a second-degree crime. The penalty has been increased because this has become such a problem.”

While Wilkof said he has not seen a significant increase in swatting calls during his time with the department, he added that OUPD works closely with OU's Office of Emergency Management to prepare for acts of violence on campus, which it describes as active attackers.

According to university spokeswoman Samantha Pelham, the OU has established a Critical Incident Response Team comprised of various campus leaders, including University Communications and Marketing and OUPD.

“We meet quarterly, if not a little more often, to discuss how we can improve our ability to communicate,” Pelham said. “There's the operational side, where we decide together, 'what is our plan for the future?' and then there's the university communications side, which is more about 'how do we communicate this?'”

Once the OUPD, in collaboration with the rest of CIRT, has legitimized a threat, Pelham says UCM ensures that students receive timely and accurate information to prepare for the situation.

“We actually have the Ohio Alerts Page and an Ohio Alerts messaging system that's specifically designed to keep people informed as quickly as possible,” Pelham said. “We really encourage students to sign up for those messaging alerts because that's the fastest way to get information.”

Although OU is Athens' biggest target, the campus isn't the only place that receives swatting calls. Wilkof says places like freeways and the Gordon K. Bush Ohio University Airport are also targeted. In those cases, Wilkof says, the OUPD shares jurisdiction with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Athens Police Department and the Athens County Sheriff's Office.

“With the increase in swatting calls, many agencies, including federal agencies and the FBI, have come together and said, 'We're going to release a more comprehensive approach and recommendations on how to respond to these calls without causing the population to panic, because, as I said, that's exactly what these callers are trying to accomplish,'” Wilkof said.

Regardless, Wilkof says the OUPD responds to all swatting calls.

“I believe our department, as well as our partner agencies, do an excellent job of determining the threat level of a call,” Wilkof said. “We don't want to panic prematurely, but we also have an obligation and duty to inform the public.”

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