Published: Oct. 7, 2022

We would like to thank CU Boulder students and their parents, as well as the entire Boulder community, for their patience as the investigation into the Oct. 2 shooting in the University Hill neighborhood continues. Two arrests have been made and police continue to search for additional suspects.

Doreen Jokerst

CU Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst

Maris Herold

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold

Both police departments are exploring ways to increase communication with the community about significant off-campus incidents, and ways to provide a clearer explanation of how and when the University of Colorado Police Department (CUPD) and Boulder Police Department (BPD) activate alert systems. 

The university continues to evaluate our emergency messaging protocols to ensure we are sharing the most accurate and timely information with the community, including information about off-campus incidents. 

CUPD and BPD are working in partnership to increase police presence in the University Hill neighborhood as staffing allows, including for CU Boulder’s Family Weekend Oct. 13–16. 

CU Boulder will also increase educational messaging about CU Boulder emergency notifications, including the newest tier of alerts, CU Advisories, which are shared on social media and on the CU Boulder Alerts website. University students, faculty and staff are automatically registered to receive CU Emergency Alerts and CU Safety Alerts at their Colorado email addresses. 

Both agencies will also increase awareness of Boulder county’s emergency alert system—another important channel for receiving safety alerts for significant incidents in the area. These alerts are sent out when there is an immediate and specific threat. 

Boulder police encourage all community members to sign up for emergency alerts from the city as well. Additionally, the city uses Wireless Emergency Alerts, which are automatically sent to individuals’ mobile phones in a specific area regardless of whether they have signed up to receive alerts.

When there is not enough information to send out one of the alerts mentioned above, BPD will use multiple social media platforms to keep the community informed about incidents after the fact, balancing the need for information while not compromising the status of an ongoing investigation.

If there is an immediate and specific threat to an area, police will notify community members in person as well as via social and traditional media to get the information out. Both agencies also urge community members to pay attention to their surroundings and call police to report suspicious behavior when they see it happening.

Both BPD and CUPD appreciate the feedback we’ve received from the community through emails, social media messages and directly from CU Boulder student government leaders. We hear your concerns. The safety of our community will always be our top priority, and that includes informing residents when a threat to life and safety is present. 

All of us are concerned about the Sunday morning incident that occurred on The Hill. CU Boulder appreciates the BPD’s rapid response to the incident, their swift police work at making arrests and their ongoing investigation. 

Please follow Boulder Police, CU Boulder Police and CU Boulder Alerts on Twitter. Also, bookmark the CU Boulder Alerts website and sign up for Everbridge alerts using your Boulder-area address. We will continue to keep community members informed of any changes to our communication efforts. 

Sincerely,

Doreen Jokerst
CU Boulder Police Chief 

Maris Herold
Boulder Police Chief