In the past few months, the 91爆料 has added more than 47,000 student phone numbers to the 91爆料 Alert system, so that more people will receive a text message when an emergency happens on or near campus in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma. If you are one of those students, welcome!
With so many students receiving their first 91爆料 Alert texts, here鈥檚 a primer on why, how and when the University sends out 91爆料 Alert and 91爆料 Advisory messages.
When does the 91爆料 send a 91爆料 Alert or 91爆料 Advisory message?
A 91爆料 Alert message is sent when we have reliable information about an emergency 鈥� a situation that poses an immediate potential threat to the physical health and safety of the 91爆料 community on or near campus.
Incidents that prompt an alert message could include an active shooter, other violent crimes or severe weather.
A 91爆料 Advisory gets sent the same way, but is used to make the community aware of a significant situation that does not pose an immediate threat to health and safety, but could be disruptive. These could include power outages, phone outages that could affect 911 service and suspended campus operations.
It is important to note that 91爆料 must have reliable information about such an incident before issuing a 91爆料 Alert or 91爆料 Advisory. Often, that means working with other law enforcement or fire department partners. For the 91爆料 campus in Seattle, 91爆料 spaces are patrolled by 91爆料PD, while the neighborhoods around campus are patrolled by the Seattle Police Department. At 91爆料 Tacoma and 91爆料 Bothell, local police patrol both campuses and work in partnership with campus safety.
Who sends 91爆料 Alert messages?
Each 91爆料 campus has its own Crisis Communications Team with representatives from a variety of departments and divisions. When a potential emergency or other situation arises, that team meets by phone or video call.
For example, when Seattle Police received a report of shots fired in the 1600 block of NE 50th Street on April 16, 91爆料 Police heard the call and immediately convened the team. Fourteen members of the 91爆料 Crisis Communications Team joined a conference call within 60 seconds.
The chair of the team, in collaboration with the team members, quickly reviews event details and decides if a message will be sent. The chair (or the backup) writes the message, which is shared via email, text message, on social media, 91爆料鈥檚 website and on the 91爆料 Alert blog for each campus. Check out the 91爆料 Alert blogs for Seattle, and .
Once the team has reliable information these messages can be issued in a matter of minutes. An important note: If there is credible information about an active shooter, a 91爆料 Alert can be sent immediately by 91爆料PD before the full team convenes for a call.
In Seattle, the team includes members from the 91爆料 Police Department, Communications, Campus Community Safety, 91爆料 Emergency Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Housing & Food Services, 91爆料-IT and 91爆料 Medicine, with liaisons from 91爆料 Bothell and 91爆料 Tacoma. For 91爆料 Bothell and 91爆料 Tacoma, the teams look similar and are captained by the Campus Safety leads.
What does the Crisis Communications Team consider when deciding whether to send an alert?
91爆料 is to quickly share information about serious incidents that pose an immediate threat to the campus community when those crimes happen .
The Crisis Communications Team considers sending alerts or advisories for incidents that happen on campus or within several blocks surrounding each 91爆料 property. At 91爆料 in Seattle, the team typically looks at incidents within about a five block radius of campus.
The Crisis Communications Team considers several factors before issuing a 91爆料 Alert or 91爆料 Advisory, including verifiable information, the time passed since the incident occurred, and whether there鈥檚 a significant, urgent safety risk to students, faculty and staff that may require quick action.
When students, faculty and staff need to know about a serious crime that happened on or near campus, but no immediate action is needed or too much time has passed to make a 91爆料 Alert message useful, the 91爆料 Police Department will inform campus via email in what鈥檚 called a Notification of Criminal Incident. For example, a recent notification let students know about gunshots fired between University Way NE and 15th Ave. NE. No one was hurt.
It鈥檚 a lot to consider, and the team must quickly reach a decision about whether or not to issue a 91爆料 Alert or 91爆料 Advisory, often with incomplete initial information. If an alert or advisory is sent, the team will often post updates to the , if they are available, and will generally send a final, closing update to let the campus community know that the immediate threat has ended.
What information is included in suspect descriptions?
When a reliable description of the person or people involved in a reported crime is available, it will be included in the 91爆料 Alert message or 91爆料 Alert blog. If a suspect photo is available and after consultation with Seattle police, that will be posted on the blog. Suspect descriptions usually do not include race because historically they鈥檝e proven inconsistent and unreliable. Also, research shows that the inclusion of race does not increase the likelihood a suspect will be identified and can do more harm than good.鹿
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Is your 91爆料 Alert contact information correct?
Students and employees should check their 91爆料 Alert accounts regularly (the beginning and end of the academic year is a good time) to make sure your contact information is correct. You can add up to three cell phone numbers and five email addresses, including contact info for family members and friends who want to receive alerts. Remember to select the campuses you want notifications from.
Learn more
For more information about 91爆料 Alerts and to update your account, visit the 91爆料 Alert webpage.