Contemporary Responses to Violent Attacks on College Campuses

In this article, the authors review efforts to increase the availability of crime data to students and parents, utilize security technologies on campus, allow members of campus communities to carry concealed weapons, use criminal or potential shooter profiling, employ threat assessment techniques, and implement emergency response plans to address attacks. Limited or no empirical support exists for efforts to increase the availability of data on campus crime, allow concealed weapons carriers on campus, increase security technologies on campus, and use criminal profiling techniques to identify threatening students. However, support exists for threat assessment procedures, strategies to increase threat reporting, and for emergency management plans. Although it is impossible to rid colleges completely of violence, this review underscores the importance of encouraging all members of the college community to commit to supporting safe, free, and open college communities.