The MSU campus was placed on lock down for several hours on Thursday after an employee allegedly made threats to his own safety and the safety of others.

Lieutenant Brad Giffin with the University of Montana Police Department said policies on the Missoula campus are similar.

“We would also put out an emergency notification that would inform people about what was going on,” said Lt. Giffin. “They would receive a text message on their phone if they’ve opted into our UM Alert system. Following that, an email would be sent to all of our staff, students and employees with more information about the situation.”

Also similar to MSU, Giffin said communication with local law enforcement would quickly follow.

“We would also work closely with our local partners, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and the Missoula Police Department,” he said. “An Emergency Notification means something bad is happening on campus right now and you need to do something, and we would tell you what you need to do. A Timely Warning is about something that has already occurred, such as a crime that people should be aware of. We would tell them about the crime and how they could avoid being victimized in a similar situation. We also have general UM alerts such as a scam around campus that’s pretty prevalent and we’ll also put out information about those situations. Then, when the situation is over, we give an All Clear.”

Giffin said summer is still a very busy time on campus.

“It’s not generally university students,” he said. “Summer session is on, but the campus is being used by a wide variety of groups and organizations, such as youth camps and other activities.”

Giffin provided information as to how to sign up to receive alerts, even those who may not be affiliated with UM.

“It’s very easy to join, as well as easy to leave,” he said. “If we have a group coming on campus, we encourage them to join by texting Join UM-alerts to 30890 and they can just text the same number, only they would text the message ‘leave’.

The Associated Press is reporting that the unnamed individual taken into custody yesterday in Bozeman has not been arrested, and will undergo a mental evaluation.

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