Why Hawaii's Colleges Are Unprepared for the Campus Threat Assessment Crisis
- CrisisWire
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
By Warren Pulley, CrisisWire Threat Assessment Expert
A student at University of Hawaii at Manoa posts concerning content about targeting a professor. An employee at Hawaii Pacific University exhibits escalating workplace violence warning signs. A threat is made against administrators at Chaminade University of Honolulu.
None of these institutions have comprehensive behavioral threat assessment teams following federal guidelines.
Across Hawaii's 23 colleges and universities—from the flagship UH Manoa campus serving 20,000+ students to smaller institutions like Concordia University Hawaii—higher education institutions lack the systematic threat assessment capability that the Secret Service, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security say is essential for preventing targeted violence.
After serving as Director of Safety at Chaminade University of Honolulu and implementing threat assessment programs for campus populations exceeding 40,000 students, I've seen the gap between what federal agencies recommend and what Hawaii colleges actually implement.
Here's why that gap is dangerous—and what must change before the next campus tragedy.
The University of Hawaii System: Size Without Systematic Prevention
The University of Hawaii System serves over 50,000 students across 10 campuses—yet behavioral threat assessment remains inconsistent across institutions.
Four-Year Universities
University of Hawaii at Manoa, the flagship campus in Honolulu, serves 20,000+ students across 200 programs. Its size creates complexity: multiple colleges, diverse international populations, graduate students under research pressure, and off-campus housing where concerning behavior goes unmonitored.
University of Hawaii at Hilo on Hawaii Island serves 3,000+ students in a geographically isolated environment. When threats emerge, specialized law enforcement and mental health resources require inter-island coordination—delays that could prove fatal.
University of Hawaii–West Oahu in Kapolei, serving 2,800+ students, operates as a commuter campus where students arrive for classes and leave—minimal residential monitoring that allows warning signs to go undetected.
University of Hawaii–Maui College combines university and community college functions, serving diverse populations from traditional undergraduates to working adults taking night classes—each with different threat profiles requiring adapted assessment approaches.
The comprehensive frameworks I detail in Campus Under Siege: School Safety Strategies address these specific higher education complexities.
Community Colleges: The Overlooked Threat Assessment Gap
Community colleges serve vulnerable populations—students facing economic stress, returning adults managing work and family pressures, individuals with incomplete mental health treatment—yet receive minimal attention in campus safety discussions.
Hawaii Community College in Hilo and Honolulu Community College serve thousands of students, many struggling with the exact stressors that research shows precede campus violence.
Kapiolani Community College, Leeward Community College in Pearl City, and Windward Community College in Kaneohe serve Oahu's diverse communities without the threat assessment infrastructure that prevents behavioral crises from escalating to violence.
Kauai Community College on the Garden Isle operates in isolation where specialized resources are even more limited than Hawaii Island—making proactive threat assessment essential rather than optional.
When ABC7 Los Angeles featured my security systems testing, the emphasis was on comprehensive approaches—community colleges need behavioral assessment as much as four-year universities.
Private Universities: Assuming Safety Through Selectivity
Hawaii's private institutions serve specialized populations but make dangerous assumptions about threat profiles.
Brigham Young University–Hawaii in Laie serves 3,000+ students in a faith-based environment. Administrators often assume religious commitment eliminates violence risk—yet my research demonstrates that behavioral warning signs transcend religious, cultural, or socioeconomic boundaries.
Chaminade University of Honolulu, where I served as Director of Safety, faces challenges common to small private universities: limited security budgets, resistance to "militarizing" campus culture, and assumptions that smaller populations mean manageable risk without systematic protocols.
Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii's largest private university serving 5,000+ students across multiple Honolulu campuses, manages urban security challenges without the threat assessment frameworks detailed in my Threat Assessment Handbook.
Concordia University Hawaii in Kaneohe combines religious mission with residential campus life, creating unique behavioral intervention challenges when faith-based counseling proves insufficient for students on pathways to violence.
Private universities often resist implementing threat assessment teams, viewing them as incompatible with institutional culture. This is precisely the thinking that allows preventable tragedies.
Specialized Institutions: Unique Populations, Universal Risks
Specialized colleges serve niche populations requiring adapted threat assessment approaches.
Akamai University in Hilo and Atlantic International University in Honolulu serve online and hybrid populations—students whose concerning behavior manifests digitally rather than physically on campus.
Institute of Clinical Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in Honolulu trains healthcare practitioners—a population facing academic pressure, clinical performance anxiety, and patient interaction stress requiring specialized behavioral monitoring.
Med-Assist School of Hawaii in Kapolei trains medical assistants entering high-stress healthcare environments—students whose behavioral challenges during training may predict workplace violence risk post-graduation.
The methodologies I developed, documented by NPR's coverage of security implementations, adapt to specialized educational contexts while maintaining evidence-based core principles.
The Warning Signs Hawaii Colleges Are Missing
My published research on campus threat assessment identifies behavioral indicators that predict targeted violence in higher education:
Academic failure triggering crisis. Students facing dismissal, failed comprehensive exams, rejected dissertations, or revoked financial aid experiencing catastrophic identity loss.
Romantic rejection and stalking behaviors. The jilted student fixating on former partner, monitoring their movements, expressing entitlement, escalating from contact attempts to threats.
Grievance against institution. "The university ruined my life" narratives justifying retaliation against faculty, administrators, or the institution itself.
Faculty and staff workplace violence indicators. Employees facing termination, passed over for promotion, or engaged in conflicts exhibiting pathway behaviors toward violence.
Concerning research interests. Graduate students whose dissertation topics, lab experiments, or research focus suggests fixation on violence, weapons, or destructive capabilities.
Isolation from support systems. Students withdrawing from friends, family, advisors, and campus activities—disconnection that eliminates protective factors preventing violence.
Online radicalization and extremist content. Social media activity revealing fixation on political violence, extremist ideologies, conspiracy theories justifying attacks on perceived enemies.
Faculty at institutions from UH Manoa to BYU-Hawaii to Hawaii Pacific University witness these indicators but lack structured protocols for assessment and intervention.
Why Federal Guidelines Require Campus Threat Assessment
The Secret Service's research on preventing targeted violence establishes that 93% of attackers communicated intentions beforehand—and higher education settings provide numerous observation points for detecting these communications.
The FBI's campus security guidelines emphasize multidisciplinary threat assessment teams including:
Student affairs personnel understanding developmental psychology and crisis intervention
Campus police providing investigative capability and law enforcement liaison
Counseling center staff distinguishing mental health symptoms from dangerous behaviors
Legal counsel ensuring due process and FERPA compliance
Academic advisors monitoring performance changes indicating crisis
Residential life staff observing concerning behavior in campus housing
Watch free training: Behavioral Threat Assessment Fundamentals
The Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment guidance provides operational frameworks that I've implemented across multiple campus environments—frameworks detailed in The Prepared Leader.
Title IX Integration: The Missing Link
Campus threat assessment must integrate with Title IX processes because sexual violence cases often involve concerning behaviors predicting broader threats.
The student accused of sexual assault who makes veiled threats against the complainant. The expelled student who expresses intent to "make them pay." The subject of a no-contact order who violates it repeatedly with escalating aggression.
Title IX coordinators need threat assessment training. Threat assessment teams need Title IX expertise.
Yet at institutions from UH Manoa to Chaminade to Hawaii Community College, these functions operate in silos—creating gaps where dangerous individuals fall through.
My research on university behavioral intervention demonstrates that integrated approaches prevent violence that siloed systems miss.
Clery Act Compliance: Reporting Without Assessment
The Clery Act requires campus crime reporting—but reporting incidents after they occur isn't prevention.
Hawaii colleges dutifully publish annual security reports listing crimes that already happened. UH System institutions, Hawaii Pacific University, BYU-Hawaii, and other institutions meeting federal reporting requirements without implementing the behavioral threat assessment that prevents reportable incidents.
Compliance theater satisfies auditors while students remain at risk.
The frameworks in Locked Down: The Access Control Playbook address physical security integration with behavioral assessment—because preventing violence requires both.
The Liability Hawaii Colleges Are Accepting
When universities fail to assess and manage known threats, litigation follows. Courts increasingly rule that higher education institutions have duty to protect students from foreseeable harm.
Foreseeable means the institution had information suggesting risk but failed to act appropriately.
The faculty member who complained about a threatening student but received no response. The resident assistant who reported concerning behavior that administrators dismissed. The campus police who documented escalating incidents without triggering threat assessment.
When preventable violence occurs, these failures become evidence of negligence.
Administrators at University of Hawaii campuses, Chaminade, HPU, and other institutions operating without systematic threat assessment protocols are gambling with both lives and liability.
Why Hawaii's Geographic Isolation Increases Risk
Mainland universities experiencing crises access regional resources within hours. FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit consultation, specialized law enforcement tactical teams, crisis intervention specialists—all available rapidly.
Hawaii's colleges operate 2,500 miles from mainland support.
When threats emerge at UH Hilo, Maui College, or Kauai Community College, specialized resources require flights and coordination—delays measured in days, not hours.
Even Oahu institutions like UH Manoa, HPU, and Chaminade compete for limited island resources when multiple campuses face simultaneous crises.
This isolation makes proactive behavioral threat assessment essential rather than optional.
Having implemented programs during my tenure as Director of Safety at Chaminade and across campus environments documented in my five published books, I understand these unique Hawaii challenges.
Insider Threats: The Campus Risk Nobody Discusses
Campus threat assessment focuses heavily on student threats—but employees pose significant risk.
The faculty member denied tenure who views the department as destroying their career. The administrator facing termination who has intimate knowledge of campus security weaknesses. The staff member passed over for promotion who expresses grievances about institutional unfairness.
My research on insider threat management demonstrates that universities face unique vulnerabilities:
Employees with extensive building access and security knowledge
Faculty with specialized dangerous skills (chemistry, engineering, explosives)
IT staff with system access enabling cyber attacks
Researchers with access to hazardous materials or controlled substances
Yet Hawaii colleges largely ignore employee behavioral threat assessment.
What Hawaii's 23 Colleges Must Do Now
University of Hawaii System Leadership: The UH System must establish statewide threat assessment standards applicable across all 10 campuses—from UH Manoa to the smallest community college.
Private University Presidents: Leaders at BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade, HPU, and Concordia must prioritize threat assessment with the same urgency as enrollment and accreditation.
Community College Administrators: Hawaii Community College, Honolulu CC, Kapiolani CC, Leeward CC, Windward CC, and Kauai CC need threat assessment adapted to commuter campus realities.
Campus Police Chiefs: Security personnel need behavioral threat assessment training—not just response tactics. Contact CrisisWire at crisiswire@proton.me for law enforcement-specific training.
Title IX Coordinators: Integrate threat assessment with sexual misconduct processes. Every institution needs protocols for managing subjects who exhibit both Title IX violations and violence risk indicators.
Faculty and Staff: Demand threat assessment training. If your institution won't provide it, access free resources through FEMA IS-906 and my published research.
Free Resources for Hawaii Colleges
Download comprehensive frameworks:
School Threat Assessments 2025 (adaptable to higher education)
How to Conduct an Insider Threat Audit (employee threat assessment)
Executive Protection 2025: Why ASIS Changed Everything (protecting university leadership)
Watch training videos:
Workplace Violence Prevention Training (applicable to campus environments)
Access additional resources:
CrisisWire Blog for higher education case studies
Get Expert Consultation for Your Campus
CrisisWire provides comprehensive threat assessment implementation for Hawaii colleges and universities—public, private, and specialized institutions.
Free 30-minute consultation includes:
Assessment of current campus safety protocols
Identification of critical threat assessment gaps
Customized recommendations for your institution
Integration with existing Title IX and Clery Act compliance
Implementation timeline and resource requirements
Contact:
Email: crisiswire@proton.me
Website: bit.ly/crisiswire
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii—serving all islands
Services include:
Multidisciplinary threat assessment team training
Protocol development following Secret Service and FBI frameworks
Faculty and staff training on behavioral warning signs
Title IX integration consulting
Case consultation for active concerns
Emergency response planning
Clery Act compliance enhancement
Additional campus resources: bit.ly/crisiswire
The Choice Hawaii's Higher Education Leaders Face
Twenty-three colleges and universities across Hawaii—from the 20,000+ students at UH Manoa to smaller institutions like Concordia and Akamai University—serve thousands of students without systematic behavioral threat assessment capability.
Federal agencies have provided the research. The Secret Service, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security have published the frameworks. The warning signs are observable. The methodologies are proven.
What's missing is leadership willing to prioritize prevention over reputation protection.
Having served as Director of Safety at Chaminade University of Honolulu, implemented threat assessment programs serving 40,000+ students, and watched my expertise validated by ABC7, NPR, and government entities, I understand both the challenges Hawaii colleges face and the solutions that actually work.
The comprehensive approaches detailed in my five published books—The Prepared Leader, Threat Assessment Handbook, Campus Under Siege, Locked Down, and Uniformed Silence—provide operational frameworks adaptable to every campus context from community colleges to research universities.
The student exhibiting warning signs this week at your campus might be the one your trained team can help—if you establish threat assessment capability before crisis forces action.
Don't wait for tragedy. Don't wait for federal mandates. Don't wait for litigation.
Contact CrisisWire today at crisiswire@proton.me or bit.ly/crisiswire for consultation on establishing comprehensive threat assessment programs at your institution.
The frameworks exist. The training is available. The expertise is accessible.
What's required is the decision to act.
About Warren Pulley
Warren Pulley is a CrisisWire Threat Assessment Expert with 40 years of experience spanning the U.S. Air Force, LAPD, Baghdad Embassy Protection operations, and serving as Director of Safety at Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Featured in ABC7 Los Angeles and NPR's LAist for his expertise in security systems, his methodologies are detailed in five published books and peer-reviewed research. He has implemented threat assessment programs serving over 40,000 students across K-12 and higher education environments. His research is available at Academia.edu.
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