The Charleston Police Department cleared the scene of the bomb threat at the College of Charleston Tuesday afternoon. No bombs were found.
Six buildings at the College of Charleston were closed Tuesday after school officials say a bomb threat was received. That threat led to an erroneous alert transmitted to students that a bomb had been found.
School spokesman Mike Robertson said Charleston police received a call Tuesday morning that two bombs had been placed in school buildings.
A notification sent to students through the email and phone alert system Cougar Alert indicated that a bomb was located. But Robertson said that notification was in error.
County emergency officials using a phone alert system contacted those living within a six-block radius asking them to shelter in place.
College of Charleston President, Glenn McConnell, released the following statement:
Dear Campus Community:
I am pleased to report that all of our buildings are open, and the issue has been resolved.
I appreciate everyone’s patience during this incident.
First, I want to thank our public safety officers and emergency management staff for acting quickly and clearing the designated areas in order to ensure that our students, faculty and staff were out of harm’s way. They also worked closely and effectively with the local police and others in resolving the issue.
However, today was not without concern. Our emergency notification system – Cougar Alert – proved less than effective in a real-time situation. In the aftermath of today’s events, we have learned that there was a glitch in the system, programmed years ago – which resulted in our communication protocols being compromised, and the initial “bomb found” message was sent out electronically in error. Also, the mechanisms for communicating quickly through the Cougar Alert system – by phone, text and email – did not reach all constituents. Plain and simple, that is unacceptable, and I will work with our emergency management taskforce to address it immediately.
Our first and foremost priority at this institution is for our students’ and College community’s safety. While we may hope something like today is never repeated, we must be better prepared in dealing with it. And I assure you that we will.
Sincerely,
Glenn F. McConnell ’69
