On Dec. 19, 2023, Aaron Brown was taken into custody by the Springfield Police Department for making terrorist threats, including to individuals at Missouri State University.

As the individual began making statements of concern, the university worked with officers from the Springfield Police Department substation. We also worked closely with the employees who were directly impacted by the statements and increased security measures as warranted. If there had been an imminent threat, we were ready to make an emergency notification to the campus to provide actions to take. Fortunately, it did not get to that point.

Even though he remains in custody, we recognize this may be concerning for those who work and attend MSU. To address those concerns, we are providing information on the conditions the court imposed for his release:

• Brown is prohibited from:
  • Having contact with any of the involved individuals.
  • Being within 1,000 feet of any involved individual, their residence or place of employment/education.
  • Being on the campus of Missouri State University.
  • Possessing a firearm, ammunition or other deadly weapon, or having such weapons in the residence or vehicle.
  • Possessing or using alcohol or any state or federally-controlled substance without a physician’s prescription.
• He must wear a GPS location monitoring device.
• The provider of the GPS location monitoring device must immediately call 9-1-1 to report any:
  • Device tampering.
  • Traveling into an exclusionary zone and requesting a well-being check.

This provides a good opportunity to remind our campus community of important safety measures.

• Report concerning behaviors:
  • For emergencies, call 9-1-1, then Campus Safety at 417-836-5509.
  • Report threatening behavior to Campus Safety at 417-836-5509.
  • A Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) referral can be made for incidents that are not urgent.
• Review the university’s Emergency Action Plans.
• Watch the safety training videos.
• Sign up for in-person emergency preparedness training.
• Ensure your Missouri State Alert contact information is accurate.
• Follow the Safety First blog for updates.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact David Hall, director of University Safety at 417-836-8444.

Have you heard of Missouri State Alert? This is the mass notification system the university uses to contact students, faculty, staff and the public.

This system is critical to keeping campus safe and informed. Let’s get to know it a bit better.

When is it used?

This notification system is not only used for campus alerts such as immediate threat of violence, but also weather-related messages such as tornadoes. Its more common use, however, is a big hit with students — school closings in the event of winter weather.

The system is not used for advertisements, marketing messages or to communicate events.

What will messages look like?

The notification will include information on the type of alert and action steps that should be taken. Should an alert happen, it will come from one of the following sources:

• Phone call from 417-836-8999.
• Text message from 89361.
• Email from Safety@missouristate.edu.

If you receive a notification, you can find more details online at university status.

How can you set your notification preferences?

Faculty, staff and students can update their preferences through My Missouri State. The public can access preferences through the open access portal.

You can choose among text messages, calls and/or emails. You may add multiple phone numbers and email addresses; however, the university recommends you use direct contact information such as a mobile number.

More frequently asked questions about Missouri State Alert can be found on the university safety website.

The Springfield Police department will conduct a Crosswalk Yield Check on campus today at Cherry Street and Holland Avenue, which is near the Bear Line Shuttle Stop at Bear Park North.

Associate Director of University Safety Todd Revell said, “This is a good way to remind pedestrians to utilize crosswalks and the drivers of their responsibility to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. We appreciate the close relationship we have with our police officers and their commitment to student safety.”

For more information, go to: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=10240#:~:text=Posted%20on%3A%20April,about%20SGF%20Yields.