Source: CampusSafety.com

… an excellent question, and a topic discussed by Robin Hattersley Gray in depth in her article Is Your Campus Prepared For Flash Mobs?, written during the U.K. riots of 2011.

As social media has evolved into daily use for teens and young adults, and opportunities for flash mobs to form in the U.S. and abroad abound, considering such activity when assessing the ‘readiness’ of your campus for handling potentially dangerous crowd situations is a must.

Traditional policing units, such as campus law enforcement, can be better prepared if they are aware of these events ahead of time.  Working closely with the public, faculty and students and monitoring social media activity related to the institution can be very useful.  Opening anonymous tip lines to be used via phone, internet, or text is another great method for public safety and local law enforcement to keep track of these events and protect individuals from harm.

Improved access control can also play a significant role in managing flash mob activity.  Institutions can utilize entry point or random metal detection to reduce the number of mobile phones in use at events.  This solution, however, does not work as well at loosely contained outdoor events or those held after hours.

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