UNO Criss Library 'deemed safe' after explosive device threat

Officials with the University of Nebraska at Omaha said Monday that operations at the Criss Library resumed at 3 p.m. following an evacuation earlier in the afternoon.

At 12:24 p.m. the university sent an alert to students and staff that read, “UNO Alert: Criss Library was evacuated due to a potential threat and is closed until 3 p.m. due to law enforcement activity. Please avoid the area.”

Campus officials confirmed they evacuated the library “out of an abundance of caution” after they were “made aware of a threat of a possible explosive device in Criss Library.”

The University of Nebraska Police and Public Safety Department (UNPPSD) and the Omaha Police Department searched the building once it was evacuated. Jerry Baggett, the UNPPSD deputy chief of police, said the building was deemed “safe” around 1:15 p.m.

Baggett said schools and businesses across the country received similar threats Monday. School officials did not confirm if this was an instance of “swatting,” a situation in which someone makes a prank call or threat of a dangerous situation that draws a large presence from local authorities.

The library was evacuated just three months ago following a swatting call in October, when a false report to law enforcement said there were “shots fired” involving the Criss Library on UNO’s Dodge Campus. An emergency alert wasn’t issued because investigators “verified no threat existed, and therefore, no emergency lockdown order was issued.”

Monday’s explosive device threat is the second time this week in Nebraska where law enforcement swarmed an area to investigate a false alarm. The Grand Island Police Department confirmed a swatting threat happened Sunday, where a bomb threat was made at the Grand Island Casino Resort. Investigators said they didn’t find any explosive devices or firearms, and the initial caller “spoofed” the phone number.