RCC Campus Closed for Bomb Threat
Following an anonymous bomb threat Wednesday, officials evacuated the Rogue Community College campus building in downtown Medford. The Medford Police Department swept and secured buildings last night and this morning but found nothing. The school reopened at 11:30 A.M.
Grant Walker, RCC’s Public Information Officer (PIO), said, “there are security cameras on campus, and the police will be reviewing that video.” He also insisted that Medford PD would “appreciate any information to help with the investigation.” “It’s really unfortunate when anybody gets these threats, but they do have to be taken seriously,” concluded Walker.
At 4 p.m. RCC officials discovered the threat, written on a whiteboard, indicated an attack was to occur this morning, and the Medford Police Department made a post to their Facebook page not long after. “The grounds were swept and no suspicious devices were found,” read the post. “Classes will be cancelled and the campus will be closed until noon tomorrow. Several police officers will be on campus tonight and tomorrow morning to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Shortly thereafter, an “SOU ALERT!” went out via email with a subject line that read, “SOU ALERT! Medford Campus Delayed Start due to Inclement Weather.” The email went on to specify the campus’s closure “based on information from Rogue Community College emergency management regarding a localized threat.” Alerts were also found on the RCC webpage.
Joe Mosley, SOU Director of Community and Media Relations, said, “[the email subject line] should not have said inclement weather. That was a mistake.” He went on to reiterate much of the known information: “it was a fairly nonspecific threat, but it’s taken seriously for sure,” said Mosley. “There’s no reason to believe the threat would pose a danger after this morning.”
Mosley said that threats to the campus are not uncommon. “There was a couple of them last year,” he said. “Any threat to either of our campuses is taken very seriously,” said the Director. “The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority for us.”
This is the second empty threat to the campus in three months. Students like Julie Pyatt, interviewed in Mike Marut’s KTVL article, were frustrated with interruptions to their education.
