The University of Minnesota Twin Cities has a detailed communications plan for any on-campus emergency—fire, bomb threat, severe weather, major crime, riot, or accident. In all events, we strive to communicate quickly and accurately with the University community, the media, and the public to keep our campus safe.
SAFE-U Alerts
Rapid notifications in emergency situations will be sent to faculty, staff, and students via the following channels: text, phone, and email, depending on individual preferences. All contact methods may be updated or changed within MyU with the exception of the umn.edu email address, which is required. Situation updates will be posted on the Public Safety “Safety Notifications” webpage. In certain circumstances, information may also be posted on umn.edu. All users are encouraged to specify their contact preferences and update their contact information in MyU.
SAFE-U Emergency Alerts are issued upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to campus. They inform the campus community of immediate action steps that will help preserve safety.
These steps include:
- Use Caution If you are in the area, use caution and be aware of your surroundings
- Avoid Area Stay away from the area
- Shelter in Place Stay where you are until an all clear is given
- Evacuate Follow your building evacuation procedure to evacuate the building
- Run Hide Fight If you can safely leave the area, leave. If you are unable to leave the area safely, find a safe and secure location to hide. If you are left with no other option, use materials at your disposal to fight the active threat
SAFE-U Advisory Alerts are issued when a reported crime, occurring on University Clery Geography, is determined to pose a serious or on-going threat to the campus community but does not require immediate action.
Website notifications All emergency, advisory, and incident updates will be posted on the Department of Public Safety “Safety Notifications” webpage.
Please note: SAFE-U Notifications are separate from Dinkytown Alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
The SAFE-U Advisory says the crime occurred several hours ago, why am I just now being notified?
There are many factors that may contribute to delays between when the crime occurred and when you are notified. Crimes are not always reported to the police right when they occur and sometimes are reported hours or even days after the crime occurred. Crimes that are reported to partner law enforcement agencies are often reported to UMPD at a later date. The University aims to notify the campus community as soon as pertinent information regarding the reported crime (e.g. what happened?, where did it happen?, when did it happen?) is available.
Why did I not receive a SAFE-U Alert for a crime that occurred in a neighborhood near campus?
Safe-U Advisory Alerts are issued when a reported crime, occurring on University Clery Geography, is determined to pose a serious, immediate or on-going threat to the campus community.
The University may issue SAFE-U Alerts for crimes occurring outside of the University's Clery Geography on a case by case basis.
- Does the crime constitute a serious immediate or ongoing threat to the campus community?
- Did the reported crime involve a member of the campus community?
- Did the crime occur within close proximity to the University's Clery Geography?
- Does the crime appear to be a continuation of a known pattern or crime trend?
In most cases, a SAFE-U Alert will not be sent for crimes occurring outside of the University's Clery Geography.
Neighborhood residents and visitors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with local public safety organizations and subscribe to their crime alerts.
I heard about a serious crime occurring on campus, but I didn’t receive a SAFE-U Advisory Alert about it, why not?
A SAFE-U Advisory Notification is only sent for a crime that poses a serious or on-going threat to the campus community. Generally, a SAFE-U Advisory Notification will not be sent if the perpetrator of the crime is immediately arrested and detained.
Why is there no suspect description?
SAFE-U Alerts are not intended to identify a suspect, but to alert students, faculty, and staff of danger, and enable the campus community to make informed decisions about how to protect themselves from the occurrence of similar crimes.
The Clery Act requires this important safety information is distributed to the campus community as soon as pertinent information is available. As such, the University aims to distribute general information about the crime (crime type, location, and time of occurrence) as soon as this information is available. At the time of the notification suspect descriptions may not be available, may be incomplete, or may change as the investigation continues and new information becomes available.
On occasion, DPS may ask for the public’s help in identifying a suspect(s) or person(s) of interest in an investigation. In those cases, DPS will utilize social media, the DPS website, email, and/or the media to ask for help.
Why is the race of the suspect not included?
It is the University’s practice to not publish the race of a suspect in SAFE-U e-mail and text notifications.
SAFE-U Alerts are not intended to identify a suspect, but to alert students, faculty, and staff of danger, and enable the campus community to make informed decisions about how to protect themselves from the occurrence of similar crimes.
The Clery Act requires this important safety information is distributed to the campus community as soon as pertinent information is available. As such, the University aims to distribute general information about the crime (crime type, location, and time of occurrence) as soon as this information is available. At the time of the notification suspect descriptions may not be available, may be incomplete, or may change as the investigation continues and new information becomes available.
How can I make changes to my SAFE-U Alerts, including opting out?
You may edit your SAFE-U preferences in your MyU profile > My Info.
NOTE: Per Federal law, you cannot opt out of receiving notification via your University email.
I moved from one campus to another. How do I get alerts for my new campus?
Faculty, staff, and students who have moved from one campus to another should contact [email protected] to have their assigned campus updated in order to receive alerts for their new campus.
I am a parent, spouse, or community member, can I get SAFE-U Alerts?
Parents, spouses, or other community members may download the SAFE-U Alerts app from Everbridge to receive safety notifications from the University. When they have downloaded the app they can enter the keyword UMNSAFEU (case sensitive) to subscribe to alerts in the app.
How can I learn more information about the Clery Act?
Learn more about the Clery Act at the University's Clery Act page or visit the U.S. Department of Education's site.
Where can I find recent SAFE-U Alerts?
The University posts recent notifications and updates on the Public Safety website.
How can I receive crime alerts from the jurisdictions surrounding the campus?
Minneapolis campus: MPD 2nd Precinct alerts
St. Paul campus: Ramsey County community alerts
What other methods does the University use to broadcast emergency information?
Many methods of communication may be employed to effectively reach everyone during an emergency. SAFE-U Alerts are one of many tools the University uses to distribute emergency information. Other tools include, but are not limited to: on-the-ground public safety personnel, campus-wide email, the University home page, MyU and other websites, campus-wide outdoor public address systems, tone alert radios (not in use in Rochester), social media accounts, and digital signs throughout campuses. The University's goal is to communicate emergency information in many different ways to ensure that the most people receive alerts as quickly as possible.
