Denny Chimes on the UA quad.

UA Initiates Campus Safety Discussion with SEC Peers

Denny Chimes on the UA quad.
UA’s Office of Threat Assessment will lead the two-day summit.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama will host the inaugural Southeastern Conference Threat Assessment Summit July 22-23, bringing together those tasked with campus safety responsibilities at their respective SEC universities.

The summit’s focus is discussing topics that affect attendees daily and to better understand the practices and procedures that ensure a safe campus environment at each SEC university.

UA’s Office of Threat Assessment will lead the two-day summit. Created in 2013 to replace previous committee processes, the office is designed to assess, analyze and act upon information related to reasonable or potential threats to the campus community. The office consists of subject matter experts from various disciplines and university administrators who assess situations on an individual basis and develop a proactive plan for early intervention.

The office is led by Al Story, a member of the U.S. Secret Service for 22 years prior to accepting his role at UA.

“The primary goal of our Office of Threat Assessment is to identify and assess alarming or threatening behavior involving students, faculty, staff and visitors,” said Story. “We look for patterns of behavior and do what is necessary to proactively mitigate the presented behavior.”

SEC Threat Assessment Summit attendees will be able to network, share ideas and establish relationships with their counterparts. On Monday, representatives from participating universities will give an overview of their respective institutions’ threat assessment program. Dr. Marisa Randazzo, CEO of SIGMA Threat Management Associates, will provide a keynote address Tuesday.

Event organizers hope the summit will become an annual event that will rotate among SEC universities.

Contact

Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, bryant.welbourne@ua.edu, 205-348-8325