When a telephoned bomb threat is received at the police department, an attempt will be made to elicit all available information from the caller (see Bomb Threat Form). If the threat is received at another location, and relayed to the police department, the dispatcher will attempt to ascertain as much information as possible from the caller.

Upon receipt of a bomb threat, the shift supervisor and at least one patrol officer will be dispatched to the location. The dispatcher will advise the caller to meet the responding supervisor at a designated location.

The decision to evacuate will be made by the Chief of Police or his designate.

If the building is to be evacuated, the fire alarm system may be used to initiate evacuation. The officer activating the alarm will first notify the dispatcher that the alarm is being used for this purpose to avoid having fire equipment dispatched unnecessarily (Fire Department Personnel will not assist in bomb searches). An officer will announce the evacuation order over speaker system (Mega Phone) in buildings that lack an internal fire alarm system. If all buildings on campus are to be evacuated, because the bomb threat does not specify a specific location, the evacuation warning will be as follows:

The officer will drive around campus with the siren emitting a steady continuous wailing sound. Upon hearing this siren, all individuals must evacuate the buildings immediately.

If the building is evacuated, the public will be moved a safe distance from the building. Consideration should be given to the fact that devices are commonly placed in trashcans, shrubbery, and vehicles outside of building. Building entrances will be secure against re-entry by posting officers, signs, or barricade tape as appropriate and available.

Individuals will remove all personal items (books, purses, handbags, packages, backpacks, etc.) from the classroom and offices when asked to evacuate. Any items left in these areas after the evacuation has been completed, will be classified and treated as a potential explosive device.

No radio transmissions will be made within fifty feet of the area or building involved. Radio transmissions may cause an improvised explosive device to detonate.

Cellular phones will be turned off before approaching within fifty feet of the area or building involved. Cellular phones that are turned on transmit periodically even when a call is not in progress.

Officers will search the area or building with the assistance of a staff or faculty member, maintenance or custodial personnel, if available. Each search team will consist of two persons, preferably an officer paired with an employee familiar with the area to be searched. The shift supervisor will maintain a fixed command post. If a staff or faculty member on the scene received the call, the recipient of the call should be interviewed for all possible details regarding the call and caller.

A complete and thorough search is generally not feasible, due to the size of the typical building, and difficulty in identifying a concealed or disguised explosive device; therefore, the search teams should check for an "OPEN" or obvious device, as well as for any suspicious items or packages.

If a device or suspicious package is located, it should not be touched.

The search begins, with the outside perimeter of the building. Areas such as trashcans, shrubbery, ledges, and parked vehicles will be checked.

When searching the buildings interior, start at the lower level and work upward. Boiler rooms or mechanical rooms should be checked first. Then check areas accessible to the public (lobbies, hallways, restrooms). Once the public areas are checked, work down through the building checking non-public areas (offices, labs, storerooms, etc.) If enough personnel are available, split into two teams and check both public and non-public areas at the same time. Placing a piece of colored tape or chalk mark on the upper doorframe will mark rooms searched.

If the caller gave a detonation time, the search will cease and the officers will evacuate the area thirty minutes before detonation time. Officers will not re-enter the area until thirty minutes after the detonation deadline has expired.

Upon completion of the search, officers will report to the shift supervisor at the command post. The shift supervisor will advise the person in charge of the area that no device was found, NOT that there is no device.