A Duquesne Police and a Pittsburgh Police car park in front of the Student Union as they respond to a phoned-in bomb threat.
A Duquesne Police and a Pittsburgh Police car park in front of the Student Union as they respond to a phoned-in bomb threat.
Raymond Arke and Kailey Love | The Duquesne Duke
11/11/17
A busy day on campus, which included a Duquesne football game and the start of the men’s basketball season, was overshadowed by an intensive bomb search by multiple police departments.
Around 3:15 p.m. on Nov.11, the Duquesne University information desk fielded a call from a male caller stating that a bomb was on campus. This was followed by a call to the 911 center stating that the bomb was “a backpack left where people are eating,” according to Thomas Hart, chief of Duquesne University Police.
The caller has not yet been identified as a student or otherwise. Efforts to trace the call are currently underway, according to Hart.
Hart said that they “responded immediately,” along with several other police departments. Campus was made aware of updates through the DU Alert automated message notification system, which went out slightly after 3:30 p.m.
After a sweep of campus, assisted by Pittsburgh Police and Port Authority Police, Duquesne University Police stated that they have not yet found the backpack or any other suspicious activity and will continue to search with help from the university community as additional “eyes and ears,” according to Hart.
Despite the situation at hand, Hart states that tonight’s men’s basketball season opener will continue uninterrupted, as authorities were able to verify the safety of the Palumbo Center before admitting crowds into the building.
A campus-wide public safety email described the event as “an unsubstantiated threat” and stated that “services are not disrupted” and advised students to not leave any backpacks unattended and report any suspicious activity.
