Chief Doreen Jokerst
Maris Herold
On behalf of members of the CU Boulder and the city of Boulder 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 Boulder High School on Feb. 22 (ultimately determined to be part of a series of unfounded “swatting” calls which occurred throughout our state) and a search for a shooting suspect near CU Boulder’s family housing late Monday night, Feb. 27.
We realize that students, faculty and staff at CU Boulder, 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 Boulder 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 Boulder campus in both the Millennium hotel incident and the Boulder High School call were issued through Boulder County's Everbridge system. University populations in the impacted areas would have received the Everbridge alerts after the university opted-in students, faculty and staff with Boulder addresses last fall semester.
In both cases, the Everbridge alerts were followed by CU Boulder emergency alerts, amplifying confirmed information from Boulder Police (BPD), the agency leading the response. CU Boulder emergency alerts are posted to the @CUBoulderPolice and @CUBoulderAlerts Twitter accounts. BPD also shares information on its Twitter account @BoulderPolice.
Common emergency terms and definitions, including shelter in place, can be found on the Emergency Management website. A series of short videos explaining the university’s alert levels and safety instructions can be found on the CUPD website.
As a reminder, Everbridge is separate from CU Boulder alerts. If you believe your address was inside a shelter-in-place area yet you did not receive an Everbridge alert, please contact Everbridge.
Anyone with a colorado.edu email address automatically receives CU Boulder’s emergency alerts via university email. Current CU Boulder students who did not receive last week’s text alerts are reminded to add or update their mobile phone numbers in Buff Portal; faculty and staff are encouraged to update their personal information in MyCUInfo. 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. It’s not unusual for a campus community member with an address in an impacted area to receive both Everbridge and CU Boulder alerts. Watch this video 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 Boulder Police
Chief Maris Herold
Boulder Police
Image showing the flow of information during incidents occurring off campus. When an incident is reported near campus, Boulder Police respond and CU Boulder Police assist. Boulder Police may alert the community via Twitter or Everbridge, while CU Boulder Police confirm information then send an advisory or emergency alert.
