A Message from Public Safety 1/17/23

Dear members of the Tufts community,

As you know, we received another threat yesterday. As has been the case with many of the threats, Tufts was not singled out but rather included in a list of local organizations. If we continue to receive these threats, I want to address how we will handle them going forward.

Similar to how other organizations are now handling these threats, if we receive further threats, we will assess their credibility and determine whether there is a need for action by community members. The Department of Public Safety will continue to follow safety protocols. We will alert the community only when the threats are deemed credible or there is a specific action we are asking you to take to ensure your safety and the safety of the community. Alerts will not be sent out if the threats are not deemed credible. Because the perpetrators sometimes copy the news media on these threats, it is possible that you might hear about a threat from traditional or social media outlets unrelated to Tufts; if this occurs, please know that we are aware of the threats and have determined that a community alert is not warranted.

The safety measures we outlined in December remain in place, including increased patrols on our campuses and continued collaboration with municipal and state partners to ensure the safety and security of our community. The multi-agency investigation into these threats is continuing, and we remain focused on finding the responsible party or parties.

As always, if you see anything out of the ordinary, please contact us.

With warm regards,

Yolanda Smith, Executive Director of Public Safety