As you no doubt have seen from local media, there were reports of an active shooter at some area schools this morning. Troy Police were called to Troy High School, which is less than a mile from campus on Burdett Avenue, to investigate a threat. As part of their response, they alerted our Department of Public Safety and set up a command post on our campus in the Sharp Hall parking lot.  As reported by the Troy City School District, we now know that these reports were a hoax known as “swatting,” which has occurred at schools nationwide recently, including several in the Capital District today.

An RPI Alert was issued to stay clear of the high school so authorities could investigate and secure the area. Thankfully, law enforcement determined there was no threat to the high school or to RPI and that everyone is safe. 

RPI’s Public Safety team is always prepared to assist and cooperate with area law enforcement and emergency authorities to ensure the safety of everyone in the RPI and surrounding community when potentially threatening events occur. In the event of a threat to the RPI community, Department of Public Safety would communicate proactively, provide instructions to the campus, and ensure the awareness and security of our campus community.

I’d like to thank the team at Public Safety for their swift response. In the event of any emergencies on campus, please remember to call Public Safety at (518) 276-6611.