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The ��������Ƶ Boulder Police Department is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to locate a missing student, Megan Trussell—last seen wearing a blue/gray jacket, dark colored yoga-style pants and white platform sneakers. Those with any information: call 303-492-6666 and reference ��������ƵPD case No. 2025-0291.

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Research shows that acts of targeted violence are not random or impulsive; instead, they are carefully planned over weeks, months and sometimes years. This planning and preparation means there are opportunities to notice the warning signs and intervene to address them. The key to violence prevention is early intervention, according to experts.

“We’ve learned from research on mass shootings that many attackers engaged in observable planning behavior and communicated their plan to cause harm to others, prior to their violence,” said Sarah Goodrum,  at ��������Ƶ Boulder’s Institute of Behavioral Science.

“In addition, a recent study by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Threat Assessment Center found that these attackers often had contact with police, prior to their violence, such as fights with parents or posting pictures of guns on social media. But, in many cases, the attacker had not yet broken the law, limiting the steps police could take to address the concern,” Goodrum added.

That’s why the ��������Ƶ Boulder Police Department, which is part of the Division of Public Safety, and violence prevention researchers are working together to strengthen partnerships and integrate resources in a holistic approach to campus and community safety.

Goodrum recently joined ��������ƵPD’s Deputy Chief Mark Heyart and Sgt. Brian Brown in efforts to ensure regional law enforcement agencies are aware of valuable tools to help with early identification, assessment and intervention; training co-responders from Northglenn, Lakewood, Aurora and Thornton Police Departments on the Targeted Violence Lethality Assessment Protocol, or TV-LAP. ��������ƵPD officers and embedded mental health clinicians have already received this training. 

The protocol provides first responders with a list of 12 questions to guide an inquiry with a person engaging in concerning behavior or making threatening statements. The idea is to identify and evaluate the concerning behaviors and communications and provide individuals with help and resources before violence occurs. 

“As one of the first people called to support analysis of threats within the ��������Ƶ Boulder community, our co-responder has the benefit of many years of training and experience, and the TV-LAP gives her a way to quickly reference the key points of threat assessment and violence prevention, as well as next steps to support individuals experiencing a crisis, when she is out in the field,” said Katy Barnes, assistant director of crisis services at Counseling and Psychiatric Services.

Additionally, Goodrum and ��������ƵPD Commander Eric Edford recently presented the TV-LAP to police agencies at the Boulder County Threat Assessment Group, to encourage wider use of this valuable tool to assess and prevent targeted violence in the community. 

The TV-LAP regional trainings are part of broader efforts funded by a 2023 U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant. 

Later this year, there will be related emphasis on threat identification processes across campus. Campus safety leaders from the Division of Public Safety will engage in the National Threat Evaluation and Reporting , in continued efforts to share information on early identification and intervention. 

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When a life-threatening incident occurs off campus in heavily student-populated areas, and university police can confirm details with Boulder police, those registered to receive the  will receive updates from campus as part of ��������Ƶ Boulder’s expanded alert zones. 

The expansion started as a pilot program in fall semester 2022 and was adopted a year later. It will be assessed annually to ensure it is meeting the needs of the campus community.

The expansion encompasses areas near campus that are outside the geography for which the university is required to send emergency notifications as defined by the Clery Act but dense with student populations. 

This area includes the University Hill neighborhood, the Goss Grove neighborhood near Folsom Street and Canyon Boulevard, the Lower Chautauqua neighborhood and the residential area north of Williams Village called Baseline Sub.  

The decision to send alerts within the expanded notification boundaries will be made depending on the severity of the incident as well as the location, distance from campus and student population density. University police will work in partnership with Boulder police to confirm and share details of off-campus incidents in the identified neighborhoods, sharing updates when they are available. 

Once ��������Ƶ Boulder police are aware of any life-threatening emergencies in the expanded zone and have confirmed details with the lead investigating agency, anyone with a ��������Ƶ Boulder email address will receive ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts via email. Additionally, mobile phone subscribers will receive texts. Students, faculty and staff can . 

Depending on the nature and severity of the emergency, public safety agencies off campus may send their own alerts. If you're in Boulder regularly, sign up for  to ensure you’re receiving the latest emergency updates as they happen.

The Boulder Office of Disaster Management distributes emergency alerts for significant countywide incidents, including natural disasters, via a system called Campus community members with Boulder addresses are automatically opted in to BOCO Alerts. Those who live outside of Boulder but want to be aware of emergency notifications in the area  for BoCo Alerts. 

All students, faculty, staff, community members, parents and other family members are encouraged to follow  and  on social media and enable push notifications to receive emergency messages for . Boulder residents are also encouraged to follow the  on social media. 

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The ��������Ƶ Boulder Division of Public Safety provides opportunities for ��������Ƶ students, faculty and staff members to access its ��������Ƶ: Run, Hide, Fight active harmer response class. The SkillSoft online course launched last spring.

   How to access the course

1. Log in to your portal (My��������ƵInfo or BuffPortal).
2. Click on the SkillSoft tile, or search for it in Buff Portal if it is not saved to your homepage.
3. In the Search Content text box in the upper right, type: “��������Ƶ: Run, Hide, Fight” and click the spyglass search button.
4. Then click on the launch button in the results list.

The course, which covers topics such as how to recognize and quickly respond to an active harmer situation, includes scenarios that help participants put their knowledge into practice. The virtual, text-based course takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Law enforcement agencies, including the ��������Ƶ Boulder Police Department, are trained to respond to active harmer incidents. Be mindful that police response will occur as expediently as possible, but in the first few minutes of such an incident you may have to rely on your own actions to ensure your safety.

“Campus community members can access this virtual course at any time,” said Garry DeJong, director of events and emergency management at ��������Ƶ Boulder. “We recommend that all ��������Ƶ affiliates watch the course at least once per academic year, to learn best practices and refresh their knowledge of this valuable content.” 

The virtual course can serve as an introduction to more comprehensive active harmer response training offered by the university, including a longer .

��������Ƶ Boulder uses the Department of Homeland Security’s Run, Hide, Fight response philosophy.

Community resources

��������Ƶ Boulder has several robust processes for individuals to share concerns and request support, including several reporting options through ��������ƵPD, the Don't Ignore It website and anonymously through When concerns are reported, they are evaluated and addressed through tailored processes depending on the involved populations.

• The Department of Threat Assessment ensures continuous monitoring and mitigation; provides consultation and intervention methods; and maintains a comprehensive documentation repository for any instances of threatening or concerning behavior exhibited by faculty, staff or nonaffiliates to safeguard the well-being of our entire campus community and ensure a secure and supportive environment for all.
• Student Support and Case Management takes a holistic, non-clinical case management approach to help students address a myriad of needs or personal life events that may impact their educational career. SSCM assists students’ mental health, emotional wellbeing and safety by providing outreach, resources and referrals.
• The Office of Victim Assistance offers confidential support, including free trauma-specific counseling services as well as victim advocacy (helping people know their options and get assistance navigating systems), to ��������Ƶ Boulder students, staff and faculty who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events, including but not limited to crime, abuse, violence, harassment, stalking, discrimination and more.
• offers confidential, on-campus mental health and psychiatric services for a variety of concerns such as academics, anxiety, body image, depression, relationships, substance use and more. This office serves ��������Ƶ Boulder students.
• The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program offers confidential counseling to serve the emotional and psychological needs of ��������Ƶ Boulder employees. All FSAP staff are trained as generalist counselors and are equipped to deal with a wide range of mental health, personal and work-related issues. You must be a ��������Ƶ Boulder employee to use FSAP services.
• ��������Ƶ Boulder has several robust processes for individuals to share concerns and request support, including several reporting options through ��������ƵPD, the Don't Ignore It website and anonymously through . When concerns are shared, they are evaluated and addressed through tailored processes depending on the involved populations.

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Sometimes persistence can quickly turn into discomfort or fear when it’s unwelcome. Here are a few things everyone should know about stalking behaviors.

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Whether you’ve transferred to ��������Ƶ Boulder for your first semester or a returning student, faculty or staff member, it’s important to know how to efficiently find accurate information during emergencies that may occur on or near campus. 

The Division of Public Safety—which includes the ��������Ƶ Boulder Police Department, Events & Emergency Management, Threat Assessment and Flight Operations—provides comprehensive safety tools and resources for the campus community.

That includes timely notifications about emergencies and other situations that may impact campus.

Please bookmark the university’s , which outlines the  that can be sent, depending on the nature, location and severity of an incident. The alerts website also outlines how to receive alerts, which can differ depending upon the type of alert that is sent. 

For a review of all three notification levels and how each type of alert is shared, keep reading.

   ��������Ƶ Emergency Alert

��������Ƶ Boulder issues emergency notifications, called ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts, to the campus community when there is a confirmed immediate threat to the safety of those on our campus (or near campus in areas of high student populations).

Such threats may include an active harmer, a natural disaster, severe weather or other time-sensitive life safety concerns. ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts can also be used in the event of campus closures or delayed starts.

These alerts are sent out via text message, email, social media and posted to the alerts site.

   ��������Ƶ Safety Alert (timely warning)

Along with ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts, campus also issues ��������Ƶ Safety Alerts in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (). 

��������Ƶ Safety Alerts are notifications to campus community members, sent to their colorado.edu email accounts, for certain reported crimes committed on or near campus that represent a serious or ongoing threat. These include: criminal homicide, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, hate crimes, domestic/dating violence and stalking.

   ��������Ƶ Advisory

For non-immediate threats or other incidents that may impact the daily lives of our university community, ��������Ƶ Boulder has a tier of notifications called ��������Ƶ Advisories. 

��������Ƶ Advisories are notifications to the campus that do not rise to the level of an emergency notification or safety alert but are high-profile enough that our campus community benefits from awareness. These are shared via social media and on our alerts site. 

Find additional information

In the case of campus emergencies, the university’s  will be updated with new information as soon as it is available, usually within 15 to 20 minutes of the first text message alert. All official alerts shared on social media will also be on this page along with links to additional  including the ��������Ƶ Boulder Police website and Emergency Management website.

How to receive ��������Ƶ Boulder alerts

Anyone with a colorado.edu email address is automatically registered to receive emergency and safety alert (timely warning) emails. Additionally, we highly encourage you to  to receive text alerts by going to the Buff Portal or your My��������ƵInfo portal. You can even choose from a list of preferred languages in which to receive alerts. See the on the alerts site. 

How to receive regional Boulder alerts

If you're in the Boulder area on a regular basis, read about emergency preparedness and sign up for . You can also opt into  to ensure you’re receiving the latest emergency updates on off-campus incidents. 

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��������Ƶ Boulder's campus is home to, or frequented by, raccoons, deer, squirrels, beavers, prairie dogs, and dozens of species of birds. Foxes have also been making a rebound in the area. On rare occasions, we even get visits from larger animals such as coyotes and bears.

Hawk on campus. Photo by Craig Levinsky.

It’s important to remember, however, that wildlife is wild for a reason and should be treated as such for the well-being of both the animals and our people. ��������Ƶ Boulder’s Environmental Services team offers a few simple reminders for students, faculty and staff about interactions between people and wildlife.

• Do not approach or feed wild animals on campus, even squirrels or birds.
• If you are bitten by a squirrel or other animal on campus, clean the wound thoroughly and contact Medical Services at Wardenburg Health Center. They can provide information about wound care, signs of infection and next steps. While squirrels do not pose a risk for rabies, they can transmit other diseases that may require a tetanus booster.
• Do not feed the turtles or fish living in and around Varsity Lake, the Kittredge ponds, or other ponds around campus.
• If you come across an injured or dead animal, report it to the ��������Ƶ Facilities Management (FM) service desk at 303-492-5522 so that designated campus employees can properly assist or remove the animal.
• Problems or human contact with squirrels, rodents, birds, or other animals can likewise be reported to the FM service desk at 303-492-5522 at any time of day or night.
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s website includes several resources and tips, including how to and why is a bad idea. Websites for the and also include valuable information related to local wildlife.
• If a bear does come on campus, wildlife managers want to remove it safely, and without tagging it unless absolutely necessary. A tag will show that it has been to the city once. If a bear gets two tags, it will need to be euthanized by state law. .

“��������Ƶ Boulder’s setting provides ample opportunities for observing wildlife, enhancing our enjoyment of campus and the outdoors,” said Wildlife Manager and Integrated Pest Manager Troy Muller.

��������Ƶ staff works together with wildlife specialists, Boulder Animal Control and Colorado Parks and Wildlife when dealing with wildlife issues on campus, Muller said, and wildlife is handled with the utmost care to ensure the safety of the animal.

“��������Ƶ also invests in an Integrated Pest Management department to make sure that when animals find their way to campus, they are cared for properly and when necessary safely removed from campus, ensuring the campus populace and the animal are safe,” Muller said.

“What makes ��������Ƶ Boulder such a special campus is the staff, faculty and student body can observe the wildlife and we can all coexist with each other. I feel very fortunate to work on such a beautiful campus and be around all the beautiful creatures that call this place home."

Bears are sporadically seen in the Boulder foothills and, on rare occasion, campus during the months they are active, which is typically mid-March through November. Learn how to safely co-exist with bears.

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As part of the continuous assessment of our emergency notification protocols and procedures, campus officials will test the ��������Ƶ Boulder alerts system at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The annual testing, required by a federal law known as the Clery Act, involves checking the university’s systems for sending text messages, emails, social media posts, computer desktop alerts and website announcements. ��������Ƶ Boulder conduct alert tests each semester to ensure the university stays current with best practices and maintains readiness to respond in case of emergencies.

Before the Jan. 28 test, students, faculty and staff members should check their portal accounts to make sure their contact information is up to date.

The below information outlines how to ensure you receive emergency notifications, the types of  the campus provides, and how to stay informed about off-campus incidents.

How to receive ��������Ƶ Boulder alerts

Students should consult the . Faculty, staff and others with university email accounts (colorado.edu) can consult the . ��������Ƶ Boulder employees can now opt to receive alerts in languages other than English. This service is also available to students.

��������Ƶ Boulder partners who have cu.edu, cufund.org, cusys.edu, ucdenver.edu or cuanschutz.edu email domains must register and maintain their information on the ��������Ƶ Boulder .

Affiliates who are not students, faculty or staff and do not have a ��������Ƶ email domain can opt in to receive ��������Ƶ Boulder text alerts by texting “cuaffiliate” to 67283. Your registration will expire one year after you opt in, and you will be required to reregister each year. You may text “STOP” at any time to 67283 to be removed. As a member of ��������Ƶ Boulder alerts, you will receive text notifications for campuswide events.

If there is a true ongoing campus threat to personal safety or a campus closure, a campuswide alert will be sent using one or all of the communication methods available. Text messaging is the preferred method of the system, since this mode reaches the most individuals in the least amount of time.

After the scheduled test, if you think that you should have received an alert and didn’t, or if you need help signing up for the system, please email the Emergency Management team.

What are ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts?

��������Ƶ Boulder issues emergency notifications, called ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts, to the campus community when there is a confirmed immediate threat to the safety of those on our campus or near campus in areas of high student populations.

Such threats may include an active harmer, a natural disaster, severe weather or other time-sensitive life safety concerns. ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts can also be used in the event of campus closures or delayed starts.

Other notifications: ��������Ƶ Safety Alerts and ��������Ƶ Advisories

As a reminder, the university has three levels of emergency notification.

Along with ��������Ƶ Emergency Alerts, campus also issues ��������Ƶ Safety Alerts (timely warnings) in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ().

For nonimmediate threats or other incidents that may impact the daily lives of our university community, ��������Ƶ Boulder has a tier of notifications called ��������Ƶ Advisories.

What about off-campus emergencies?

For campus community members who live off campus or who are off campus frequently, it is natural to want to know what is happening nearby and how to stay safe. This article explains how the university responds to off-campus incidents in areas of high student populations and has valuable information on how to stay informed of emergency notifications.

The city of Boulder and Boulder County emergency responders distribute emergency alerts via a system called , also referred to as Everbridge. Community members with Boulder addresses are automatically opted-in to the Everbridge system. Those who live outside of Boulder but want to be aware of emergency notifications in the area .

The university encourages all community members to follow  and  on X (formerly Twitter). The ��������Ƶ Boulder Police Department is part of the Division of Public Safety.

The Boulder Police Department and Boulder Fire-Rescue also maintain social media channels for nonemergency information. Local news media is also a great resource, especially in situations in which rumors are spreading on social media.

If you have questions regarding emergency management at ��������Ƶ Boulder, visit Emergency Management website or email the team. Emergency Management provides a list of common emergency definitions on their website, which is also linked on the ��������Ƶ Boulder alerts website. 

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Members from ��������Ƶ Boulder’s Department of Threat Assessment, part of the Division of Public Safety, kicked off the spring semester by hosting a collaborative training. Sponsored by ��������Ƶ Boulder’s  through a grant from the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program, the training explored the role threat assessment plays in identifying and assessing targeted violence.

Participants took deep dives into case studies that facilitated discussions of commonly recognized but often overlooked pathways to violence, strengthening existing partnerships to foster a more holistic approach to safety on campus.

Stanley Ly, director of ��������Ƶ Boulder’s  (FSAP), said the training helped illustrate the importance of streamlining referrals for mental health support for employees to form a more consistent pipeline and reduce redundancy.

“Together, we’ve improved our capacity for rapid response to distressed employees. Emergencies tend to beget chaos and unpredictability. So, the more layers of reliability, trust and order that Threat Assessment is able to impose in response will enable employee resources, such as FSAP, to more rapidly and effectively support those who are most in need during distressing scenarios,” Ly said.

Licensed counselors at FSAP are available to connect with ��������Ƶ Boulder employees going through difficult situations to offer resources, validation and nonjudgmental mental health support during times of distress. All FSAP services are confidential and made available at no cost to employees of the university.

Since the Division of Public Safety was formed in spring of 2024, Ly said he’s noticed significant growth in resources and protocols when it comes to appropriate sharing of information and collaboration across campus units. “These changes enable an ease in cross-pollination of ideas and collaboration between our various disciplines,” he added.

Threat Assessment Director Montelleo Hobley said trainings like this continue to foster a culture of sharing concerns. “As we move into 2025, we remain dedicated to advancing the integration of Threat Assessment practices, protocols and procedures into the mindset of individuals at ��������Ƶ Boulder,” Hobley said, adding, “We believe that our continued collaboration with the campus and wider Boulder community will be essential in strengthening our collective efforts to prevent targeted violence.”

��������Ƶ Boulder has several robust processes for individuals to share concerns and request support, including several reporting options through ��������ƵPD, the Don't Ignore It website and anonymously through . When concerns are reported, they are evaluated and addressed through tailored processes depending on the involved populations.

The training also featured guest speakers from the Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression and the University of Southern California.

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