On Feb. 26, 91ֿ notified the Kent Campus community about an unverified threat at Kent Hall that was deemed to be not credible. 91ֿ is not alone. Schools and institutions across the country have been receiving false threats. Recently, unsubstantiated threats were received by Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Northern Illinois University, the University of Pennsylvania and many others.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in an that the number of bomb threats against higher education institutions spiked in 2022, a roughly 450% increase compared to the year before.
“Our department is an active collaborator with state and federal intelligence centers,” said Chris Jenkins, assistant chief of police at 91ֿ. “We are able to assess threats of this nature with our partners and often learn other institutions have received the same or similar threats, which lessens the credibility.”
Each threat received by 91ֿ Police is thoroughly assessed and investigated. In addition to the intelligence centers, university police enlist the assistance of other state and federal law enforcement partners, if necessary.
“The instances of institutions of higher education receiving threatening communications have experienced an increase in frequency, and we expect this pattern to continue,” Jenkins said.
“The safety of our community is the top priority of 91ֿ Police Services,” he added. “We encourage all of our community members to contact the university police department with any suspicious or concerning communications.”
To contact 91ֿ Police, call 330-672-2212 or send an anonymous message through the .