Responding to an Active Shooter
While the University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) trains for active shooter incidents, our students, faculty, and staff must also be prepared. As part of our ongoing commitment to your safety and our continuous efforts to educate you on emergency preparedness, we encourage you to review our latest safety video, Responding to an Active Shooter. While there's no reason to expect to face an active shooter situation on campus, being prepared and understanding widely accepted practices are the best ways to be safe.
Additionally, our instructors are available to meet with your division, department, or student group, to talk more about active shooter preparedness. To request a presentation, please email UMPDChief@umpd.umd.edu
Alerts are sent by text and email. If you are not automatically receiving them (or would like to update your preferences), simply login and update your UMD Alerts profile.
You can call UMPD or text us from the UMD Guardian App, which is available for free in the app store. This is the only way you can text UMPD. This app also serves as a virtual walking escort service, automatically contacting UMPD if you do not arrive at your expected destination.
If you ever find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event, your survival may depend on whether or not you have a plan. The plan doesn't have to be complicated. There are three things you can do that make a difference: RUN, HIDE, FIGHT.
Run
- Your first instinct should be to RUN.
- If you can, get out of the building safely. Leave your belongings behind.
- If you meet other people along your escape route, encourage them to join you, but do not wait for them.
- Establish a buddy system with individuals that require assistance in getting out quickly.
- When you get to safety, call 9-1-1, and remember to tell the dispatcher you are calling from the University of Maryland campus.
Hide
If the shooter is nearby and you aren’t able to get out, you should HIDE.
- Lock the door.
- Turn off the lights.
- If you can, use a belt to further secure the door.
- And silence your cell phone.
- Then hide behind any large items, staying away from doors and windows.
Fight
In rare situations, however, running and hiding aren’t possible. As a last resort, be prepared to FIGHT.
Use any available item in the room that can be used as a weapon, like a heavy chair or fire extinguisher, to first disorient and then engage the shooter until the police arrive.
Remember ... RUN, HIDE, FIGHT
What to expect from responding police officers
Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately to the area in which shots were last heard; their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible. The first responding officers will normally be in teams; they may be dressed in regular patrol uniforms, or they may be wearing external bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets, and other tactical equipment. The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, or handguns, and might also be using pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.
Regardless of how they appear, remain calm, do as the officers tell you, and do not be afraid of them. Put down any bags or packages you may be carrying and keep your hands visible at all times; if you know where the shooter is, tell the officers. The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people; rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow the first officers into secured areas to treat and remove injured persons.
Keep in mind that even once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still a crime scene; police will usually not let anyone leave until the situation is fully under control and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Until you are released, remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.
With that being said, it is extremely important that, If You See Something, Say Something.