Dear Riverbats,
I have promised you transparency and authenticity. Today, I’m with our Police Chief, Lynn Dixon, and we want to let you know about a situation on one of our campuses that left some students and employees feeling scared and confused.
At about 9 p.m. last night, students and employees reported someone wearing a ski mask walked into a room where they were meeting and made remarks that felt threatening. While investigators now believe it was a prank — we want to assure you that we are taking this extremely seriously. Here’s what we want you to know.
Our officers immediately responded. The person who made the threat was quickly identified and questioned by ACC police. No weapons were found, but officers discovered the individual violated a trespass order and was arrested on criminal trespass charges.
An investigation is ongoing and police will pursue charges to the fullest extent of the law.
When I heard about what happened, my heart felt heavy. No one should face a situation like this — especially when they’re on our campuses. I am immensely proud of the students and employees who stepped up and reported this incident and our responding officers who were able to quickly de-escalate the situation and restore safety on campus.
Students, you will receive more information today about the free mental health counseling and support services that are available to you here at ACC. Faculty, you will also receive more information about support services available to you.
Campus safety is a top priority. When you’re here, you should feel safe, secure, and welcomed. Threats of any nature will not be tolerated.
We want to remind you of the safety measures that are in place to protect our students, employees, and visitors.
- Police Presence
Each campus has a police station and surveillance cameras. Additionally, the college works with its regional partners to ensure enhanced training and preparation. - Campus Entry Points
There are select main entrances located at each campus. These are the only entry points into a building that have unlocked doors. All other building doors operate under access-control technology. Those doors automatically lock from the outside and require an approved key card for entry, even during regular operating hours. - ACC ID Cards
All students and employees are required to have and display a valid ACC ID card while on campus. Visitors must check in while visiting campus and will be issued a name tag. - Emergency Notifications
The situation last night was isolated and resolved quickly with no ongoing threat. As a result, an emergency alert was not issued. However, in the event of an ongoing threat, the college will issue an emergency alert. Please make sure your Emergency Alert contact information is up to date so you can receive those important notifications.
We encourage everyone to remain vigilant on campus and report any suspicious activity. As always, if you see something, say something. If something doesn’t seem right, please call ACC Police Dispatch at 512-223-1231. We encourage you to save this number in your phone’s contacts.
Thank you and much love,
Russell Lowery-Hart, Ph.D.
Chancellor
Austin Community College District
Chief Lynn Dixon
Police Chief
Austin Community College District