Chris Cole, University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department director of threat intervention services, plans to hold information sessions with the goal of familiarizing the campus community with him and his new position, according to a Tuesday university press release.
Cole began his new role in November. The position is targeted at preventing, evaluating and responding to new campus security threats.
“Our goal is for faculty to teach, researchers to research and students to learn in a safe and secure environment,” Cole said in the release.
According to the release, one of the objectives of the information sessions will be to clarify Cole’s mission. He is the chair of a threat team that aims to stop school and workplace violence before it happens by collaborating with different groups across the campus community.
“The idea that people just snap with no warning signs is inaccurate,” Cole said. “It was also realized that preventing violence requires a multi-disciplined approach. It is not strictly a function of law enforcement.”
Cole said he will work to debunk misconceptions that threat prevention works through profiling. Rather, he and his team plan to stay vigilant of warning signs and will work on a case-by-case basis.
“After the attacks of September 11, the mindset changed to one of prevention and getting ahead of threats while also respecting individuals’ civil rights and liberties,” Cole explained in the release. “This is the perspective I bring to the team.”
Cole comes to UW-Madison with more than 30 years of experience in the U.S. Marine Corps and the FBI, where he served as an on-scene commander of the investigation into the 2012 Sikh Temple mass shooting in Oak Creek.
