UVU Releases Independent External Review of Events Surrounding September 10th

Orem, Utah — October 2, 2026

Utah Valley University has released their independent review of the planning and response surrounding the September 10th, 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk. The assessment, conducted by The Lake Forest Group and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, evaluates the University’s “planning, preparedness, decision-making, operational response, interagency coordination, and post-incident actions related to the event”. The reviewers conducted more than 70 interviews, reviewed thousands of records, and assessed University event planning, technical evidence, and all applicable policies.

After the review, the project team released its 10 “Key Findings”:

1. UVU Has a Strong Foundation of Policies and Procedures, but Implementation Was Significantly Inconsistent Before and During the September 10 TPUSA Event
2. High-Profile Event Planning Requires a More Formal and Integrated Event Security Framework
3. Protective Operations and Line-of-Sight Planning Were Not Sufficiently Formalized for the Outdoor Venue
4. Incident Command, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Operations, and Emergency Communications Need Greater Standardization and Exercise-Based Validation
5. Security Technology and Situational Awareness Capabilities Should Be More Effectively Integrated Into Real-Time Operations
6. Protective Intelligence, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), and Subject Focused Investigative Capabilities Are Not Yet Fully Developed
7. Interagency Coordination Was a Response Strength, but Mutual Aid and Statewide Campus Safety Coordination Should Be Formalized
8. Organizational Alignment, Staffing, and Training Should Be Evaluated Against UVU’s Size and Risk Environment
9. UVU Made Meaningful Post-Incident Efforts, but First Responder Support and Continuous Improvements Need Additional Attention
10. Utah Is Expanding Public Safety Intelligence and Collaboration Efforts, and UVU Should Proactively Engage in Those Efforts

The assessment determined that UVU’s established frameworks for planning and securing large events were “not always implemented in a consistent, documented, or operationally integrated manner”. The reviewers emphasize in Key Finding 1 that “The assessment generally concludes that while UVU had strong safety policies before the event, reviewers identified several gaps in their implementation, specifically regarding communication and coordinated pre-event planning between TPUSA and UVUPD”.

The report also emphasized that “at no time during the events leading up to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or in its aftermath, did any employee or agent of UVU act in bad faith or in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others”. Perhaps the University’s biggest strength was reported in Key Finding 7, where the reviewers wrote that their interviews “reflected strong working relationships between UVUPD and Orem Police Department, and those relationships were important during the response”.

Read the full review at https://www.uvu.edu/externalreview/