PIQUA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Chief Bruce A. Jamison, CLEE

100 North Wayne Street  Piqua, Ohio 45356
Phone: (937) 778-2027  Fax: (937) 778-2008
Emergency Police Dispatch: 9-1-1  Non-emergency: (937) 440-9911
www.piquaohpd.org  E-Mail: bjamison@piquaoh.org

THREAT ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES IN PIQUA

February 22, 2018
For Immediate Release
Media Release Number:18MR03

Anxiety related to school shootings has understandably increased over the past week. We want
to hear about concerns and threats so we can be proactive in addressing them, so thank you for
those reports made directly to us. Citizen anxiety is probably escalated after the most recent
shooting as it has clearly demonstrated system inadequacies and showcased a person that seems
to have committed violent acts despite reports of the potential threat. We have no interest in
being part of any blame games in other jurisdictions, but we would like to address how we assess
threats in Piqua so people will continue to report them. We also seek to serve a community that
is not creating panic by inappropriately passing along false rumors and want to provide citizens
with the knowledge and tools they need to feel safe.

In Piqua, we first take protective measures for uninvolved parties to a threat which could include
closing a school/business or making an announcement to those affected. We then gather multi-
disciplinary teams to assess information that could lead a reasonable person to believe a violent
act could occur. We include law enforcement and a mental health component along with teams
familiar with the situation or concern. In factories, this is frequently HR, senior management,
and floor supervisors. At a school, this would include principals, in-school counselors, and
other staff with direct knowledge. We are just beginning to establish threat assessment teams in
houses of worship and defining what those might look like. These are confidential gatherings
where the various disciplines may share information that is otherwise protected. The legal
ability to share this information must be assessed by the entity that has the information, and the
privacy exceptions can apply in the interest of protecting lives.

In Piqua, we have developed a tool based on several sources that have determined clear
indicators of potential violence based on studies of previous incidents. Those indicators have not
changed much even though we have seen a continuous evolution of active shooter trends. This
multi-disciplinary team determines a “level of concern” for the threat. Low and medium
concerns result in continual monitoring and usually follow-up actions by the school or business.
If the team decides, after the review, that
 it is reasonable to believe the subject poses a threat to themselves or others; or
 the subject appears to be on path to attack, then
our agency takes control of the situation for arrest and/or involuntary mental health evaluation,
and we continue communication with the school or business to conduct reentry plans for the
subject to the school or work environment. Additional protective measures for other parties may
also be implemented.
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A threat assessment goes beyond determining whether a subject said something threatening. If
they said something illegal and we can prove it, they get charged. We still assess the threat for
both the intent and the capacity of the subject to carry it out. When threats are brought to our
attention outside of school or work hours, we frequently prohibit the student or employee from
coming to the potential target site while conducting the investigation.

We want to encourage citizens to report their concerns. They can simply call 937-440-9911 and
ask to speak to an officer, or they can use our anonymous Submit-A-Tip system. We discourage
people from getting on social media and asking if anyone else has the same concern, or issuing
their own warnings to their social media audience that is based on second-hand information. “I
have yet to see one of our cases benefit from private citizens issuing their own warnings or
reports of threats to a broad social media audience.,” said Piqua Chief of Police Bruce Jamison,
“And if you add to that equation a warning or the repetition of an unsubstantiated rumor, it
interferes with our investigation and can actually create its own safety hazards.”

There are several other tip lines and anonymous tip services available. They will pass
information specific to Piqua along to us. Likewise, we forward our tips to more appropriate
agencies when we don’t have jurisdiction.

Please, don’t hesitate to report your concerns or threats that you witness directly to us. And,
think twice before passing along any information on social media outlets when you don’t
personally know that information to be true.

Submit-A-Tip – bit.ly/PPDtips

Media Contact: Bruce A. Jamison, Chief of Police, 937-778-2029

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