University Department of Public Safety

Targeted violence is an act of violence that is pre-meditated, predatory, and directed at a specific individual, group, or location. This differs from other acts of violence that are spontaneous, impulsive, or random.¹   

Examples of targeted violence can include active aggressor situations (i.e. school or workplace shootings), stalking and harassment, sexual assault, hate crimes, bombings, or extremist activity. Individuals who engage in targeted violence often have a specific grievance toward an individual, community or institution, or they may use violence as a way to make a political or ideological statement.

¹SchoolSafety.gov – Targeted Violence

The Threat Assessment & Management Partnership (TAMP) relies on the multi-disciplinary expertise of several departments on campus. Working together, these partners identify, assess, and manage concerning behavior that may indicate that someone is on a pathway toward targeted violence. TAMP includes representatives from:

• Department of Public Safety (Threat Assessment & Management Unit)
• Office of the Dean of Students (Behavioral Intervention Team)
• Health Sciences (Behavioral Intervention Team)
• University of Utah Police
• Human Resources
• Office for Faculty - Academic Affairs
• Office for Faculty - Health Sciences
• Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, & Title IX
• Huntsman Mental Health Institute
• Office of General Counsel
• Additional campus partners as dictated by the nature of the situation

TAMP is not intended to replace normal University grievance protocols, pre-existing responses, or law-enforcement. Rather, it is designed to complement these efforts by expediting reports of concerning behaviors, objectively assessing safety and risk issues, and supporting campus partners as they provide appropriate behavioral interventions.

• Actual or implied threats to harm other individuals, specific communities, or property/buildings
• Stalking, surveillance, or unwanted contact with another individual
• Harassing or intimidating behaviors
• Concerning social media posts, emails, or phone messages
• Communicating an intent to harm others
• Inappropriate interest in weapons or referencing acts of violence
• Any behavior or situation that makes you fear for your safety or the safety of others

All emergency situations, immediate safety concerns, or potential criminal activity should be reported directly to University Police.
Call 911 or University Police at 801-585-2677.

When a situation is referred to TAMP, the threat assessment and management unit within the Department of Public Safety:

• Works with members of TAMP to gather additional information about the concerning behavior
• Assesses factors and behaviors that may indicate if an individual is on a pathway toward violence
• Provides guidance to TAMP members on how to manage the situation

Once the situation is evaluated, members of TAMP:

• Use this guidance to inform behavioral management plans for the individual
• Coordinate responses across departments and communicate any new concerns
• Work together to develop a safety plan for the impacted individual(s), if needed
• Monitor the situation until the behavior de-escalates or the situation is resolved

If you have questions about the TAMP process, please email tamp@utah.edu.

All emergency situations, immediate safety concerns, or potential criminal activity should be reported directly to University Police.
Call 911 or University Police at 801-585-2677.

If an individual is exhibiting concerning behaviors that may indicate a risk of future violence, but is not an immediate safety threat, you have several reporting options.

If the individual is a student:

• Submit a referral to the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) in the Office of the Dean of Students. If a student’s behaviors are escalating and indicate a risk of future violence, BIT will engage TAMP to conduct a threat assessment.

If the individual is a faculty member or University employee:

• If the individual is a faculty member, contact the Office for Faculty - Academic Affairs or the Office for Faculty – Health Sciences.
• If the individual is an employee, contact Human Resources.
• These campus entities will review the situation, and if needed, engage TAMP to conduct a threat assessment.  You may also submit a referral directly to TAMP.

If the individual of concern is a patient or visitor within the Health Sciences system:

• Refer the incident to the Health Science’s Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). If the individual’s behaviors are escalating or indicate a risk of future violence, BIT will engage TAMP to conduct a threat assessment.

If the individual is a campus visitor:

• Report the concern directly to TAMP.

Reports submitted via TAMP's online portal are reviewed Monday - Friday during regular business hours. Reports submitted after hours, on weekends, or on holidays will be reviewed the next business day.

Any incident that also that involves discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct should also be reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX.

We rely on our community to recognize and report concerning behaviors so we can prevent violence on our campus.  Anyone can report a concern - whether you're a faculty member, employee, student, visitor, or alumni.