CSM’s Public Safety Officers Work with Law Enforcement to Investigate Vague Social Media Post
The College of Southern Maryland’s Public Safety Department worked with law enforcement officials to investigate a vague social media post which a CSM student had shared with public safety officers and indicated concern about potential school violence in March. The message did not make a specific threat and was vague in that it did not indicate any specific school or involvement with CSM. However, any threat to safety and security on CSM’s campuses is taken seriously.
In this case, a student shared with an instructor late on February 27 a post that had been forwarded to the student. The instructor immediately contacted CSM’s Public Safety Department on the La Plata Campus, and officers alerted the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. The college was able to provide information and identifications to determine that the message did not involve CSM and for law enforcement to follow-up.
Recognizing that during current events, anxieties and concerns are high, CSM officials are grateful that students, staff and faculty are helping to provide a safe and secure environment and making officials aware of rumors or threats regarding the safety of others.
In this particular case, CSM appreciates the student who came forward with their concerns and the instructor who alerted CSM’s public safety officers to the concern.
See Something, Say Something; Here’s How
The College of Southern Maryland encourages anyone that is aware of any rumors or threats regarding the safety of the college community to report this information immediately to CSM’s public safety officers located at any of the campuses, or to the law enforcement in their county.
Each person has a role in helping to provide a safe and secure environment. It cannot be stressed enough: If you see something, say something. At the College of Southern Maryland, you can do so in several ways:
• E-mail your concerns to [email protected];
• Contact any of the public safety offices on the four campuses; to call the Public Safety and Preparedness Department, call 301-934-7888; or,
• File an incident report of any unusual, disturbing or suspicious behavior at any time at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?CollegeofSouthernMD or by accessing the direct link to this form located at the bottom of the college’s home page at www.csmd.edu.
We ask students, staff, faculty, and visitors to report anything that they consider suspicious or outside what they may consider normal, whether it pertains to individuals or interactions with them, activities, behaviors, social media postings, rumors or troubling information. All reports are investigated and addressed.
The College of Southern Maryland encourages students, staff, faculty and visitors to review regularly the resources available at http://ready.csmd.edu/ and to contact CSM’s Public Safety directly with any additional questions or comments. CSM’s goal is to provide the most accurate information as quickly as possible and public information is provided through the college’s online newsroom at https://news.csmd.edu and CSM public safety page at http://ready.csmd.edu/.
