In the Tuesday editorial, the University Police were criticized for not using the text alert system to notify the community of the sexual assaults being investigated by the Prince George’s County Police. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the different layers of notification systems utilized by the University Police. We have a number of communication tools used to disseminate important information to members of the campus community. Some of the methods are used to alert the community to reported crimes that occurred both on and off the campus. Other methods will be used in the event of an emergency. The communication methods and uses for each are described as:
Crime Alert Systems
University Police will distribute a “Crime Alert” to the campus community for crimes that have occurred both on and off the campus that might present a danger to the community. This danger, however, is not normally “in progress” and would not involve the emergency notification systems. The Crime Alerts are designed to raise awareness and to encourage everyone to actively participate in crime prevention efforts (e.g., locking doors, not walking alone, reporting suspicious activity to police).
n Megamail sent to all students, faculty, and staff
A mass email sent from the chief of police alerting the community to the specifics of a crime that does not present an immediate threat.
n University of Maryland Department of Public Safety (University Police) website
Under the “Crime Alerts” portion of the University Police Web site at www.umdps.umd.edu.
n Flyers placed in critical areas
University Police will post and hand- deliver flyers in specific areas affected by a recent crime.
We attempt to disseminate this information as soon as practical taking into account things such as gathering information from victims and witnesses, obtaining information from other agencies and actually preparing the release for dissemination.
Emergency Notification Systems
The following communication methods are used to notify members of the campus community in the event of an imminent dangerous situation or immediate threat; for example, a terrorist attack, ongoing violent crime or severe weather incident (e.g. tornado).
n UMD Alert Text Messaging System
E-mail or text messages or both will be sent to users who are registered at www.alert.umd.edu.
n Early Warning Siren System
Outdoor sirens will emit a loud, steady warning signal when the university community should seek shelter indoors and more information on the emergency.
n Alertus Notification System
A total of 19 display screens in prominent locations around the campus will display dynamic messages about the emergency.
We did not feel the sexual assaults warranted the use of the text alert system due to the fact one of the sexual assaults was reported to the police about 16 hours after the attack, thus the danger was not ongoing or imminent. In contrast, the alert system was utilized for the recent carjacking for three reasons: First, the crime had just occurred; second, the suspects were last seen on the campus and third and most importantly, the crime involved the use of a firearm, which in and of itself can present an imminent threat to members of the campus.
I would also like to clarify what was reported in The Diamondback referencing the carjacking, specifically that it took the University Police 45 minutes to respond. The Diamondback chose to print this information even though I believe they knew, or should have known, this information to be false. The University Police sent out a text alert with the time of the incident approximately 39 minutes after the incident occurred, quite impossible to do if we took 45 minutes just to get to the scene, gather information, notify police administrators, and then send the alert. We have nothing to hide about our response time to this incident and here are the specifics:
Call received from victim via transfer from PGPD 911 Center: 8:44:10 p.m.
Call dispatched to DPS officers: 8:44:58 p.m.
DPS officer at Stadium Drive and Route 193, looking for suspects: 8:45:45 p.m.
DPS officers at Route 1 and Campus Drive, looking for suspects: 8:45:50 p.m.
DPS officer meets victim: 8:47:45 p.m.
We take great pride in our quick and efficient response to crimes that have just occurred or are in progress; the misinformation printed in The Diamondback is not indicative of the work our dispatchers and officers do on a daily basis.
Paul Dillon is the University Police spokesman and internal affairs coordinator. He can be reached at dillon@umd.edu.
