UC Aware: Feb. 8, 2019

Feb. 8, 2019

Dear UC Community,

The UC Public Safety Department has revised our mass notification policy in order to push out a notification as quickly as possible in an emergency situation.

When our emergency communications personnel receive credible information that there is a significant emergency or dangerous situation on or very near campus, they will send an alert via text message, email and Bearcat Guardian. The initial alert will be general, and will serve to notify anyone near the affected area that they should be observant and stay where they are if they are in a safe location. For example, it may say, “Police responding to emergency reported on Uptown campus. If safe, stay at your location. Be observant/take action as needed. More info soon.”

As soon as our officers have confirmed the details of the situation, a second message will be sent via the same methods with information more specific to the situation. Thereafter, follow up messages will be sent regularly so the campus community stays informed until the incident is resolved.

We encourage you to ensure you are signed up to receive alerts. If you are a student, you need to have the “Emergency Text” field in the “Phone Numbers” section under “Personal Information” in Catalyst filled out in order to receive alerts. Please also ensure that the email address, in the “Email Addresses” section, is correct. If you are a faculty or staff member, you must have a cell phone number in the Directory, and you must agree to receive emergency notifications from Public Safety, in order to receive text alerts.

We also encourage you to download Bearcat Guardian, our state-of-the-art campus safety app. In addition to receiving emergency alerts through the app, you can also send tips to UCPD, use a safety timer to make sure your friends or co-workers make it to their destination safely, and more. Search “Rave Guardian” in the App Store or Google Play to download.

Sincerely,
James L. Whalen
Director, Public Safety