4 days ago
CCRI saw a ‘breakdown' in communication during incident with armed man on Lincoln, R.I., campus, review finds
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According to the report, on March 6, a dispute between two men aboard a Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus en route to the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln escalated when one passenger brandished a small knife and retrieved a 'black object resembling a handgun' from a backpack that he placed in his waistband.
The RIPTA bus driver reported the incident to RIPTA dispatch, who then notified both CCRI police and Lincoln police, although no firearm was mentioned at that time, the report states. The suspect exited the bus and entered the campus before authorities arrived at the bus stop, according to the report.
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An an alert was issued through the college's mass communication systems ALERTUS/RAVEto the CCRI community, which included a report of a 'lockdown at the Warwick campus,' the report states. A corrected alert was issued 2 minutes later, clarifying the lockdown was only for the Lincoln campus and reporting a 'possible suspect with gun.'
The suspect, later identified by Lincoln police as Junior Sage of Woonsocket, was later arrested without incident as he exited a building on campus, officials wrote in the report. Police recovered an airsoft-style pistol and two small pocket knives from Sage,
No injuries were reported.
The 'After Action Review' identified several communications issues during the response to the incident, including 'inconsistent radio contact' between CCRI Police Deputy Chief Timothy Poulin and CCRI dispatch
regarding the suspect's movements. Dispatch was also confused at one point about whether the suspect displayed a firearm, the report states.
When Emergency Management Coordinator Sean Collins called CCRI dispatch to collect information for a campus alert, dispatchers 'appeared uncertain and under stress, relaying fragmented and incomplete information about the suspect and their location,' the report states.
Dispatch also activated the ALERTUS lockdown button, which sent an alert to all CCRI campuses, with the erroneous message relaying a lockdown at the Warwick campus, according to the report.
The misunderstanding prompted a student at the Warwick campus to call 911, reporting 'students are killing other people,' the report states. Warwick police responded with approximately 17 officers, and State Police sent 11 troopers to that campus, and found no threat.
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Additionally, the review found an updated Emergency Management Plan was developed about a year ago, but has not yet received final approval. CCRI police had conducted several 'active threat response trainings' between 2021 and 2025, although a 'significant full-scale exercise' planned in January was canceled and 'an additional exercise planned for spring break was also cancelled,' the report states.
Campus police also do not have firearms or TASERs, 'significantly limiting officers' ability to respond directly to active threat situations,' the report found.
However, training provided during student and faculty orientations 'proved effective' on March 6, as 'many students and faculty took appropriate actions by locking doors, silencing phones, and remaining out of sight,' the report states.
In her letter sent to the CCRI community upon the release of the report, Costigan wrote CCRI has already made public safety-related improvements, including the creation of alert templates to make sure messages are clear and campus-specific.
Costigan wrote CCRI has also enhanced police training on those systems, is expanding active threat training for faculty, staff, and students, is creating new protocols for inter-campus communications and multi-agency response, and has initiated a feasibility study to 'assess equipping campus police with additional tools within the use-of-force continuum.'
Costigan wrote CCRI 'will move quickly to complete the remaining recommendations.'
'Your safety and peace of mind remain my top priority,' Costigan wrote to the CCRI community. 'I am grateful for your resilience and cooperation as we strive to make our college stronger and safer for all.'
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
