Announcement of Safety Concerns: Timely Warnings
Should a situation arise on or off campus that, in the judgement of Campus Safety and Security, the Office of the Dean of Students, and/or the Dean on Call constitutes a serious or continuing threat to students and employees, a timely warning is issued without delay. Most often, the warning is issued to all students and employees via email as a written "security alert." If the safety of people outdoors is urgently threatened, the outdoor campus early alert system is used to make audible announcements. (Exception: Initiation of the notification system may be delayed if, in the professional judgement of responsible authorities, a timely warning will compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or other mitigate the emergency.)
Security Alerts (Email and Text Message)
A security alert is a timely safety warning issued to students and employees through the College's email system by Campus Safety and Security, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the Dean on Call. The purpose of a security alert is to inform the campus community that a crime or other emergency posing a serious or continuing threat to students or employees has been reported and to provide information that will aid personal safety and the prevention of similar crimes. In general, a security alert includes the subject line "Security Alert," a description of the safety threat, and of the suspect (if available), suggested actions for protecting oneself, and crime reporting contact information. Follow-up security alerts may be sent to provide new or clarifying information collected as the threat is addressed. Security alerts are sent via email to all students and employees when classes are in session. During spring, summer, fall, Thanksgiving, and winter breaks in classes, security alerts are sent via email to all employees and to the appropriate subset of students residing on campus.
Depending on the particular circumstances of a threat, the office of College Communications and Marketing may also post a notice on the College's official website (www.lynchburg.edu). In addition, printed copies of a security alert may be posted in residence halls; at the front door of each on-campus house, townhouse, and apartment; and in other campus buildings.
Additionally, student and employees may elect to receive abbreviated versions of security alerts via text message. To register for this supplemental, text message safety notification service, a student or employee must provide a cell phone number on the registration form posted on "myLC" (http://myLC.lynchburg.edu, click on "Personal," click on "My Notifications").
Anyone with information warranting a timely warning through a security alert or with information about any crime or safety threat should immediately contact Campus Safety and Security by telephone (emergency: 434/544-5555; non-emergency: 434/544-8100), by emergency phone, or in person at the Information Desk (first floor, Hall Campus Center).
Safety Announcements (Email)
Different from a security alert about an ongoing safety threat, a safety announcement provides information about a crime that has occurred but does not pose a continuing threat (e.g. because the suspect was apprehended). The purpose of a safety announcement is to aid the community in preventing a similar incident, to explain the presence of emergency vehicles on campus, and/or to provide information about crime committed off campus in Lynchburg that may have relevance for the LC community (e.g. an incident at another local campus, a series of thefts from cars parked on streets near campus). In general, a safety announcement issued to students and/or employees through the College's email system by Campus and Security, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the Dean on Call includes the subject line "Safety Announcement," a description of the safety incident, and suggested actions for preventing similar incidents.
