Prior to issuing an emergency notification, the existence of an emergency or dangerous situation will be confirmed via dispatched officers or other emergency professionals on the scene, video monitoring, or notification from the National Weather Service. Information obtained from these sources will be used to determine the scope and content of the notification.

Upon confirmation of an emergency or dangerous situation, the UMPD on-duty supervisor will notify the UMPD Chief or designee. The Chief or designee will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, work with the Public Safety Emergency Communications Center (PSECC) to determine the content of the notification and initiate the appropriate notification system(s). If it is not possible for the UMPD on-duty supervisor to contact the Chief or designee, the UMPD on-duty supervisor has the authority to work with PSECC to determine the content of the notification and initiate the appropriate notification system(s).

Notification may be delayed if issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

The Department of Emergency Management is responsible for the activation of emergency notification systems for incidents of severe weather that create a dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the safety of members of the campus community.

The primary method of emergency notification is a SAFE U Emergency Notification. SAFE U Emergency Notification is delivered to all students and employees, depending on user preferences SAFE U Emergency Notification will consist of an email and may include text and/or phone messages.

The activation of other emergency notification systems such as CWEAS and Tone Alert Radios are based on the guidelines established in the Department of Public Safety Emergency Procedures Manual. These systems may be activated to supplement SAFE U Emergency Notifications.

SAFE U Emergency Notifications will consist of basic information about the type of emergency or dangerous situation and information on actions to take in order to avoid danger. Updated information will be disseminated as it becomes available and as time allows or when the immediate threat has been mitigated.

SAFE- U Emergency Notifications can be authorized by the following individuals: UMPD supervisory staff, Department of Emergency Management Staff, University Services Vice President, or University Relations.

The News Service, which is a part of University Relations will handle notifications on the UMN website and to the news media.

Dissemination of emergency information to the larger community (i.e., parents and residents from surrounding neighborhoods) will take place as time allows. Depending on the nature of the incident, the University could utilize such avenues as the University internet homepage or the media. The first concern of the University will be to disseminate information to those people directly affected by the emergency. Dissemination to the larger community is the responsibility of University Relations.