Campus Under Siege: Why Warren Pulley's New Book is Required Reading for University Leaders

The University of Hawaii at Manoa reported 464 crime and safety incidents between 2024-2025, with 71 arrests for major crimes including sexual assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. Students walking alone in darker campus areas remain "easy targets" according to campus reporting, yet UH Manoa—like universities nationwide—continues relying on reactive security measures: 24/7 patrols, emergency call boxes, and mass notification systems that respond to violence rather than preventing it.

Warren Pulley's Campus Under Siege: Why Universities Are Soft Targets—and How to Fix Them, published September 22, 2025, exposes why American universities remain vulnerable despite billion-dollar security investments. Drawing from his role as Director of Campus Safety at Chaminade University, 40 years of law enforcement and military experience including LAPD operations and U.S. Embassy Baghdad protection, and over 2,400 threat assessments conducted nationwide, Pulley delivers both devastating critique and practical blueprint for transforming reactive campus security into proactive violence prevention.

The book's 135 pages address critical failures plaguing university safety programs: inadequate behavioral threat assessment teams, mass notification systems that take too long, Greek life hazing prevention gaps, dormitory security vulnerabilities, and crisis leadership unpreparedness. Case studies from Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Penn State, and UNC Chapel Hill demonstrate how preventable incidents become tragedies when universities lack systematic threat assessment capabilities aligned with U.S. Secret Service NTAC and FBI Making Prevention a Reality frameworks that Pulley's book operationalizes for higher education environments.

The Soft Target Reality: Why Universities Cannot Secure What They Cannot Assess

UH Manoa's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report under the Jeanne Clery Act documents crimes after they occur—a compliance exercise providing historical data but little prevention capability. Campus Under Siege argues this reactive approach fundamentally misunderstands modern threats: attackers planning violence exhibit observable behaviors weeks or months before acts occur, creating intervention windows that reporting systems alone cannot exploit without systematic threat assessment.

Behavioral threat assessment team (TAT) gaps: Most universities lack multidisciplinary teams trained to identify pathway behaviors—research, planning, preparation, leakage—that signal violence formation. UH Manoa maintains Campus Security Authorities for Clery reporting compliance, yet Clery CSAs function as data collectors, not threat assessors. Campus Under Siege provides step-by-step TAT establishment protocols, member role definitions, assessment frameworks, and case management systems universities can implement immediately using the book's thirteen ready-to-use forms.

Research detailed in School Threat Assessments 2025 shows that universities with formal TAT programs identify and prevent 87-91% of planned violence through early intervention—outcomes impossible through reactive security alone. The BTAM Starter Kit for Hawaii provides complementary implementation tools specifically adapted to island operational constraints affecting UH campuses statewide.

Mass notification system limitations: UH Manoa's UH Alert emergency notification system tests monthly but cannot prevent incidents requiring notification. Campus Under Siege documents how universities nationwide invest heavily in alert technology while neglecting behavioral monitoring systems that would identify threats during formation—when prevention is possible—rather than during execution when only response remains available.

As examined in Pulley's related work The Prepared Leader, effective emergency management requires both rapid notification capability and proactive threat identification. Universities achieving this balance prevent more violence than those prioritizing notification technology over behavioral assessment—the core argument Campus Under Siege makes through detailed case analysis and implementation frameworks.

Greek life and residential safety failures: Campus Under Siege dedicates substantial coverage to hazing prevention, fraternity/sorority oversight gaps, and dormitory access control vulnerabilities that create preventable casualties. UH Manoa's reported incidents at Webster Hall and Saunders Hall, plus ongoing sexual assault concerns in student housing, illustrate patterns the book addresses through systematic protocols for residential behavioral monitoring, peer reporting cultures, and intervention frameworks balancing student privacy with community safety.

The Campus Violence Timeline resource demonstrates how residential incidents typically escalate through observable stages—providing intervention opportunities when universities maintain systematic assessment capabilities rather than reacting only after serious harm occurs.

Campus Under Siege: Why Warren Pulley's New Book is Required Reading for University Leaders

Inside Campus Under Siege: Practical Tools for University Transformation

Unlike academic analyses diagnosing problems without offering solutions, Campus Under Siege provides immediately deployable frameworks:

Campus safety self-assessment quiz: Universities can evaluate current capabilities across thirteen critical domains: threat assessment team functionality, reporting system effectiveness, mass notification capabilities, physical security infrastructure, crisis leadership preparedness, Greek life oversight, residential safety protocols, mental health integration, law enforcement partnerships, community engagement, training adequacy, legal compliance, and documentation systems. Results identify priority gaps requiring immediate attention versus longer-term enhancements.

Thirteen ready-to-use forms: The book includes complete templates universities can customize without creating from scratch: threat intake reports, behavioral concern documentation, risk evaluation matrices, TAT meeting agendas, intervention planning worksheets, campus security audit checklists, emergency drill evaluation forms, hazing incident reports, residential safety inspections, crisis communication templates, and stakeholder notification protocols. These tools align with OSHA workplace violence prevention requirements and DHS threat assessment guidelines while addressing higher education's unique operational environment.

Expanded resource appendix: Rather than proprietary methodologies requiring ongoing

consultant engagement, Campus Under Siege connects readers to authoritative federal resources: FEMA emergency management training including IS-907 Active Shooter Response and IS-915 Protecting Critical Infrastructure, FBI threat assessment frameworks, DHS guidelines, Clery Act compliance resources, and hazing prevention tools from national advocacy organizations.

Glossary of campus safety terms: Recognizing that university presidents, trustees, and deans often lack security backgrounds, Campus Under Siege provides clear definitions for technical terminology: Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), FERPA privacy requirements, Clery Act obligations, Behavioral Threat Assessment fundamentals, and related concepts enabling non-specialists to make informed security decisions and engage effectively with campus safety professionals.

This practical orientation reflects Pulley's operational philosophy documented in Integrated BTAM: Mastering Multi-Threat Safety—providing tools enabling organizational capability rather than creating consultant dependencies through proprietary systems.

Case Studies: Learning from Preventable Tragedies

Campus Under Siege examines four landmark university violence incidents, extracting systematic lessons applicable to contemporary campus safety:

Virginia Tech (2007): The deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history resulted from multiple assessment failures: mental health concerns inadequately addressed, threat indicators missed by fragmented communication, and delayed emergency notification allowing extended attack duration. Pulley analyzes how systematic TAT capability and integrated mental health partnerships could have intervened during the months-long period when the shooter exhibited concerning behaviors.

Michigan State (2023): Recent violence demonstrating that campus vulnerabilities persist despite post-Virginia Tech improvements nationwide. Campus Under Siege examines how access control gaps, insufficient visitor management, and incomplete threat assessment protocols enabled preventable tragedy—lessons directly applicable to Hawaii campuses facing similar security architecture challenges.

Penn State hazing deaths: Greek life fatalities illustrate how universities' cultural resistance to aggressive hazing prevention creates liability exceeding any relationship benefits fraternity/sorority systems provide. The book provides frameworks for systematic oversight, mandatory reporting, serious consequence enforcement, and cultural transformation moving Greek life from risk liability to community asset.

UNC Chapel Hill faculty murder: Workplace violence on campus demonstrates that threats don't only involve students—faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors also present assessment challenges requiring comprehensive TAT capability rather than student-focused systems alone. Analysis examines how employment conflicts, grievances, and workplace dynamics create violence pathways systematic assessment can identify and intervention can address.

These case studies aren't sensationalized tragedy exploitation but systematic extraction of prevention lessons—the analytical approach Pulley brings from 2,400+ assessments documented in his credentials review.

Who Must Read Campus Under Siege

University presidents and trustees: Governing bodies bear ultimate responsibility for campus safety yet often lack frameworks for evaluating security program effectiveness beyond compliance metrics. Campus Under Siege provides systematic assessment criteria, benchmark standards, and implementation roadmaps enabling informed oversight and resource allocation decisions.

Campus police chiefs and security directors: Frontline security professionals gain federal framework alignment, systematic TAT establishment protocols, and integration strategies connecting security operations with student affairs, mental health services, residential life, and academic departments—coordination essential for effective threat assessment but often fragmented in practice.

Student affairs and residential life leaders: Staff interacting daily with students need threat recognition training, clear reporting protocols, and confidence that concerns will be assessed systematically rather than dismissed or handled inconsistently. Campus Under Siege provides frameworks transforming these professionals from passive observers to active violence prevention participants.

Parents evaluating college safety: Families sending students to universities deserve informed assessment of campus security capabilities beyond marketing materials and compliance statistics. The book's self-assessment quiz and systematic evaluation criteria enable parents to ask pointed questions about behavioral threat assessment, emergency preparedness, Greek life oversight, and residential safety—holding institutions accountable for proactive prevention rather than reactive response.

Faculty and staff: Campus community members advocating for improved safety gain evidence-based frameworks supporting their concerns and practical recommendations for administrative consideration. Campus Under Siege arms advocates with federal standards, peer institution best practices, and implementation roadmaps overcoming common administrative resistance to security investment.

Hawaii Campus Applications: Geographic and Operational Considerations

Campus Under Siege addresses challenges affecting all universities, but Hawaii institutions face amplified vulnerabilities:

Geographic isolation: UH campuses on neighbor islands cannot rapidly access Oahu-based specialized resources during emergencies. The 72-hour behavioral threat escalation window compresses when mainland expert consultation requires inter-island travel or multi-day deployment delays. Campus Under Siege provides systematic protocols enabling internal threat assessment capability supported by remote expert consultation when needed—self-reliance essential for Hawaii's distributed university system.

Limited mental health resources: Hawaii faces significant counselor and psychiatric emergency service shortages affecting campus behavioral intervention capabilities. Universities identifying students requiring mental health support often struggle accessing timely services—making prevention through early threat identification even more critical when treatment resources lag demand.

Cultural diversity: UH system serves substantial Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Asian, and military family populations requiring culturally competent threat assessment avoiding bias while remaining vigilant for genuine pathway behaviors. Campus Under Siege emphasizes behavior-focused protocols rather than demographic profiling—approach validated by ASIS International security standards for diverse operational environments.

Tourism and transient populations: Hawaii campuses host substantial visiting scholar, international student, and conference attendee populations creating assessment challenges similar to those facing the state's hospitality sector documented in Hawaii's unique threat landscape analysis. Campus Under Siege's frameworks for baseline establishment in transient environments apply directly to these campus realities.

Implementing Campus Under Siege Recommendations

Universities ready to move from reactive security to proactive prevention should deploy systematic resources:

Foundation: Begin with Campus Under Siege ($9.99) providing comprehensive frameworks, case study analysis, and thirteen implementation forms. Use the campus safety self-assessment quiz to identify priority gaps requiring immediate attention.

Immediate deployment tools: Implement BTAM Starter Kit for Hawaii ($497) for Hawaii-adapted assessment protocols, or Threat Assessment Kit for mainland institutions. Combine with School Emergency Action Plan templates customizable to higher education environments.

Comprehensive protocols: Add Threat Assessment Manual for detailed TAT establishment guidance and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy templates addressing faculty/staff threats alongside student concerns.

Physical security integration: Review Locked Down: Access Control Blueprint addressing dormitory access, visitor management, and facility security gaps Campus Under Siege identifies as critical vulnerabilities.

Leadership preparation: University executives should study The Prepared Leader for crisis decision-making frameworks and Integrated BTAM for multi-threat convergence scenarios increasingly common in modern campus environments.

Documentation systems: Deploy Incident Report Forms and case management tools ensuring Clery Act compliance while supporting proactive threat assessment rather than mere reactive documentation.

Research foundation: Deepen understanding through School Threat Assessments 2025 on Archive.org, Executive Protection 2025 ASIS Standard on Scribd, and 10-Step Insider Threat Audit on Academia.edu.

Professional consultation: Universities requiring comprehensive TAT program development, campus security audits, or crisis leadership training benefit from expert support customizing Campus Under Siege frameworks to specific institutional contexts, student populations, and operational constraints.

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Why Campus Under Siege Matters Now

University violence prevention reached critical inflection point: federal agencies establish systematic threat assessment as expected standard practice through Secret Service, FBI, and DHS guidance; courts increasingly hold universities liable for preventable incidents when institutions lacked reasonable assessment capabilities; insurance carriers scrutinize campus security programs during underwriting; and parents demand accountability for campus safety beyond compliance statistics and marketing claims.

Campus Under Siege provides the roadmap universities need navigating this transformed landscape—moving from reactive security providing illusion of safety to proactive prevention creating actual protection. For UH Manoa addressing 464 annual incidents, Hawaii's other university campuses facing similar challenges, and mainland institutions recognizing campus security requires systematic transformation, this book delivers both wake-up call and actionable blueprint.

The failures documented are known. The solutions provided are clear. The only question: Will your campus act before becoming the next case study?

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About CrisisWire Threat Management Solutions

Warren Pulley is Hawaii's only BTAM-certified threat assessment consultant with 40+ years of experience and 2,400+ assessments conducted. Former Director of Campus Safety at Chaminade University, LAPD officer, U.S. Embassy Baghdad security specialist, and Air Force veteran. Information aligns with U.S. Secret Service, FBI, DHS, and OSHA standards.

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