Campus Alert Archive
SDSU

Threat of violence, January 23, 2024

AI-generated · every claim is source-linked
SDthreat of violencetimely warningmedium confidence
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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
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
South Dakota State University
Public R1 · SD
All SDSU cases →
~12,000 studentsSDSU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how SDSU says it will use Campus Alert System (Everbridge) / Alertus Desktop Notifications: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.

FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimRe-verified via case sources on sdsucollegian.com397 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.
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
    archived copy
  2. News
    Threat to South Dakota State University deemed not credible (Brookings Register)
    brookingsregister.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Phone threat at SDSU originated out of state (Brookings Radio)
    brookingsradio.com
    archived copy
  4. News
    SDSU warns students of anonymous threat (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)
    listen.sdpb.org
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "South Dakota State University: Threat of violence, January 23, 2024." Incident of January 23, 2024. Added April 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/south-dakota-state-university-threat-2024-01-23/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
threat-of-violencephone-threatout-of-statesouth-dakotatimely-warningnationwide-patternunsubstantiatedHoax
Added April 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion