Is UAA prepared for an active aggressor?

Planning for emergency situations is important for any organization’s preparedness. In the U.S., this means readiness for active aggressor situations — including active shooters. 

The Northern Light spoke with UAA’s University Police Department — or UPD — Chief of Police Jeff Earle and UAA Director of Marketing and Communications Katie Bender about the subject.

UPD, utilizes “run, hide, fight” as its main protocol for active aggressors. This method recommends evacuating the area if it is safe to do so, hiding or barricading in place or, if the situation arises and escalates, fighting an aggressor.

UAA primarily uses this method due to the spread-out nature of the campus, according to Earle.

The university plans to notify students, staff and faculty of any emergency via mass email, text and phone calls from the UAA Incident Management Team or Emergency Operations Center. 

The Rave Guardian app is also used to notify the community about emergent situations. 

In the case of an active aggressor, UPD and the Anchorage Police Department would work together to control the situation.

Earle emphasized student awareness in active aggressor situations. 

“Pre-event indicators, we remind people, if something's concerning, please say something; or if you see something, say something to us, so that we can investigate and provide the support resources to prevent anything from happening.”

Earle also said that if a shooting occurred on or near the UAA campus, it is likely a spillover from the surrounding community. 

For instance, the shooting that took place near University Lake last November was partially handled by UPD and followed a similar protocol to an on-campus aggressor. 

More information about emergency situations on campus can be found on UAA’s emergency information webpage. UAA is working on a webpage specifically for information about active aggressor situations, which is expected to be live in the next few weeks.