On behalf of all of the members of the CU Police Department, I want to welcome you to the 2016-17 school year. You are on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the U.S. As the chief of the police department, I will assure you that the top priority for every member of our department is to make sure that you have a safe environment to pursue your academic goals.
As part of keeping you safe, we are required by federal law to inform you when certain types of crimes are committed on or adjacent to our campus. This law is commonly known as the Clery Act. These warnings fall under two categories: an Emergency Notification or a Timely Warning.
An Emergency Notification is used for any type of significant emergency anywhere on campus. These messages will come to your Colorado.edu email account and as a text to your phone under the subject line: Campus Safety Alert.
These emergencies can range from a weather event such as a snow storm or flooding to an active harmer situation on campus. An example of this type of messaging happened early Wednesday morning. We were notified by Boulder Police about a dangerous person that they were looking for and that their search area included parts of East Campus as well as off-campus housing in the area. Because of this, we decided to alert you of the potential danger in that area.
A Timely Warning is issued when a specific crime has occurred on campus property and there is a serious or ongoing threat to students and employees. The Timely Warning crimes are:
- Criminal homicide
- Negligent manslaughter
- Sex offenses — includes rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape
- Robbery
- Aggravated assault
- Burglary
- Motor vehicle theft
- Domestic Violence
- Dating Violence
- Stalking
- Arson
- Hate crimes such that meet the Federal definition
When this warning is issued, you will receive an email to your Colorado.edu account with the subject line: CU Boulder Alert.
The best way to be informed about trends that we are seeing on campus or steps that you can take to help ensure your safety is by following us on our social media channels. We are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To find us, just search for CUBoulderPolice.
All of us at the University of Colorado Police Department are proud to be your police department and we are looking forward to a great year. Go Buffs!
Melissa Zak, Chief, CU Police Department
