CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ and ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police chiefs address recent off-campus incidents
Chief Doreen Jokerst
Maris Herold
On behalf of members of the CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ and the city of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ police departments, we would like to thank you for your questions and feedback in the wake of our coordinated emergency responses to three separate incidents: a SWAT response to a report of shots fired at the Millennium Harvest House hotel on Feb. 20, a call of a person with a gun near ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ High School on Feb. 22 (ultimately determined to be part of a series of unfounded βswattingβ calls which occurred throughout our state) and a search for a shooting suspect near CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs family housing late Monday night, Feb. 27.
We realize that students, faculty and staff at CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅, especially those whose addresses fell within the shelter-in-place zones, are receiving a higher than normal number of emergency alerts from various sources, including CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ alerts and Everbridge alerts, and we want to be sure community members understand the purpose, timing and dissemination of each type of alert.
Shelter-in-place orders sent to two different neighborhoods near the CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ campus in both the Millennium hotel incident and the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ High School call were issued through . University populations in the impacted areas would have received the Everbridge alerts after the university opted-in students, faculty and staff with ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ addresses last fall semester.
In both cases, the Everbridge alerts were followed by , amplifying confirmed information from ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police (BPD), the agency leading the response. CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ emergency alerts are posted to the and Twitter accounts. BPD also shares information on .
, including shelter in place, can be found on the Emergency Management website. explaining the universityβs alert levels and safety instructions can be found on the CUPD website.
As a reminder, Everbridge is separate from CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ alerts. If you believe your address was inside a shelter-in-place area yet you did not receive an Everbridge alert, please .
Anyone with a colorado.edu email address automatically receives CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs emergency alerts via university email. Current CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ students who did not receive last weekβs text alerts are reminded to in Buff Portal; faculty and staff are encouraged to . Need more help? Contact the Office of Information Technology.
CUPD assisted BPD in responding to these incidents. The two police agencies regularly work together to respond to calls, especially those near campus for which the university is piloting an expanded alert area. Itβs not unusual for a campus community member with an address in an impacted area to receive both Everbridge and CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ alerts. to learn more about CUPD's relationships with other law enforcement agencies.
It is our shared goal to keep all community members informed of incidents that could impact their safety, and to share confirmed information and instructions as quickly as possible. Please ensure your contact information is correct in Everbridge and the university portals.
Thank you,
Chief Doreen Jokerst
CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police
Chief Maris Herold
ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police
Image showing the flow of information during incidents occurring off campus. When an incident is reported near campus, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police respond and CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police assist. ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police may alert the community via Twitter or Everbridge, while CU ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Police confirm information then send an advisory or emergency alert.