Campus Alert Archive
SDSU

Out-of-State Phone Caller Threatens Attack on SDSU, Part of Nationwide Pattern Targeting Schools

SDthreat of violencetimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On January 23, 2024, South Dakota State University received anonymous phone calls threatening to carry out an attack on campus, starting at 10:31 AM CST. SDSU issued a 'timely warning' alert around 11:00 AM. Investigation determined the calls originated from outside South Dakota and were part of a nationwide pattern targeting schools and public institutions.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
South Dakota State University
Public R1 · SD
~12,000 studentsSDSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction280 chars
SDSU TIMELY WARNING: The university has received anonymous phone calls threatening an attack on campus. No threats were made to any specific part of campus. The campus remains open. Take precautions and be aware of your surroundings. Report any suspicious activity to SDSU Police.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The first call was received at 10:31 AM CST on January 23, 2024, with additional non-specific threatening calls following
SDSU chose to keep the campus open while issuing a timely warning rather than a shelter-in-place, reflecting the non-specific nature of the threats
The calls were later traced to outside South Dakota and matched a nationwide pattern of similar threats to schools and institutions
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from Brookings Register, SDPB, and Brookings Radio reporting397 chars
SDSU UPDATE: After a thorough investigation by the University Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies, the threat received yesterday has been determined to be not substantiated. The call was generated from outside the state of South Dakota. Similar calls have been made to schools and public institutions across the United States.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The multi-agency investigation included SDSU Police, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies
The determination that the call originated from out of state is consistent with a national pattern of phone-based threat hoaxes targeting educational institutions
Similar calls had been reported at schools and public institutions across the country in the preceding months
Context

Background

On January 23, 2024, South Dakota State University received anonymous phone calls threatening to carry out an attack on campus. The first call came in at 10:31 AM CST, followed by additional non-specific threatening calls. SDSU issued a timely warning around 11:00 AM, urging the community to take precautions while keeping the campus open. A thorough investigation by SDSU Police, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and other agencies determined the threat was not substantiated. Brookings Radio reported that the calls originated from outside South Dakota and were directed to published phone numbers at SDSU. South Dakota Public Broadcasting noted that similar calls had been made to schools and public institutions across the United States in recent months.
Analysis

Key Findings

The calls originated from out of state and were directed to published phone numbers, consistent with a nationwide pattern of automated or semi-automated threat calls
SDSU chose to keep campus open with a timely warning rather than a shelter-in-place, a different approach than many institutions take when receiving threat calls
Multi-agency investigation involving SDSU Police, SD DCI, and other agencies determined the threats were unsubstantiated
Outcome
After investigation by SDSU Police, South Dakota DCI, and other agencies, the threats were determined to be unsubstantiated. The calls originated from outside South Dakota. Campus remained open throughout.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    SDSU Police Department investigates anonymous phone call threat (SDSU Collegian)
    sdsucollegian.com
  2. News
    Threat to South Dakota State University deemed not credible (Brookings Register)
    brookingsregister.com
  3. News
    Phone threat at SDSU originated out of state (Brookings Radio)
    brookingsradio.com
  4. News
    SDSU warns students of anonymous threat (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
    listen.sdpb.org
Tags
threat-of-violencephone-threatout-of-statesouth-dakotatimely-warningnationwide-patternunsubstantiatedHoax
Added April 2026Updated April 2026Via ingestion