The Nevada Sagebrush

Checking your e-mail might sound like an odd reaction for someone who is trying to remain safe from near-campus armed muggings and a shooting, but that’s exactly what campus police alerted students to do last Friday.

Eight hours after armed suspects from two near-campus muggings and a shooting were known to be at large, the University of Nevada, Reno Police Department sent a text message alert asking people to check their e-mail for an update.

Although several students were still on campus studying just after midnight when the muggings and shooting occurred, nobody knew that armed suspects were at large in the surrounding area. UNRPD should have text alerted students of the situation and given them safety tips, which in turn could have kept students from wandering the area alone and unaware.

The text message alert system costs $12,000 per year to maintain, but UNRPD has yet to use it effectively. When campus buildings were closed due to a power outage last month, no messages were sent. On Friday, the police texted students, telling them to check their e-mails. The system that was designed to immediately warn students is not being put to good use.

A simple text sent as soon as police had the information would have alerted students to the potential danger. For example: “Fr: UNR Subj: Campus Safety alert

Msg: Armed muggings and shooting near south campus. Suspects at large, may be armed. Don’t walk alone. Check e-mail for more info.”

Instead, the delayed text with little information was a message some call useless.

“I don’t really know why I got a text message aside from telling me to run for a bunker and get my computer,” said Steven Zink, vice president of information technology, who helped bring the program to campus.

e2Campus, the company that runs the alert system, said the text messages are meant to give students immediate information.

The dramatic time delay notwithstanding, all the text message alert did was repeat an e-mail.

If students were not near a computer when they received the text message and could not access e-mail from their phone, the text was useless. Many of those that might have been near a computer, probably didn’t even know their UNR e-mail passwords and login information.

Although this incident was the first time UNRPD used the text message system and these problems could be attributed to the program’s newness and troubleshooting status, it’s frightening to wonder what would happen if an even more dangerous situation happened and the police department failed to efficiently use tools to notify students yet again.

The Nevada Sagebrush can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.

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