A string of bomb threats against the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities has Lincoln University receiving regular updates from the FBI.
At least 20 FBI field offices around the country are investigating bomb threats that have been made against HBCU campuses and houses of worship. No explosives have been found at the locations that received the threats.
The latest threats were made Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month. The threats are being investigated as hate crimes, the FBI announced Wednesday.
Gary Hill, chief of police at the Lincoln University Police Department and vice president for campus culture, said HBCUs began receiving initial bombs threats in December, and since then, Lincoln has kept in contact with other HBCUs around the country to monitor the situation.
On Tuesday, Lincoln’s sister-HBCU, Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, shut down its campus because of a bomb threat.
“With the start of Black History Month on Tuesday, this week has been one of both celebration and sobering reality for Lincoln and our fellow HBCUs,” University President John Moseley said Friday morning in a message to university students, faculty, staff and alumni. “We are grateful that Lincoln was not among those HBCUs who received bomb threats earlier this week, but we share in those schools’ disturbance and heartbreak. HBCUs represent some of the most family-centered environments for education that exist in our country today, and we are deeply saddened by any threats of violence or hate that interrupt the vital educational access we provide students and the freedom for which we stand.”
Hill said Lincoln has taken part in virtual Zoom meetings and conference calls with an FBI liaison, who keeps the university briefed on information uncovered through ongoing investigations.
“Basically, we kind of just wake up in the morning and we send out information to each other and to see if there’s any new information to keep us advised on what is going on,” Hill said. “We’ve listened to some of the calls that have come in to the other HBCUs, and we have trained our staff here at LUPD and our dispatchers and let them listen to the calls.”
By listening to previous bomb threats, Hill said, it should be easier for LUPD and dispatchers to identify them and be prepared if it happens at Lincoln.
Lincoln University had not received any bomb threats as of Friday afternoon, Hill said.
Additionally, Hill said the university has sent information to students, faculty and staff, and he has met with University President John Moseley and the university’s maintenance team and custodial staff, who he said would be most likely to find anything unusual on campus.
“They’re probably going to see something before we see it because they’re constantly in the buildings, and it’s their responsibility to keep buildings clean and remove objects that aren’t supposed to be there,” Hill said. “So we’ve given them some information and told them that if they see a suspicious item or anything like that to give us a call first and let us take a look at it so we can implement our protocols if need be.”
Hill also encouraged students to contact LUPD if they see anything suspicious on campus.