RSCC Policy GA-13-02; Timely Warning

Roane State Community College

Policy Number: GA-13-02

Subject: Timely Warning

Purpose
The purpose of this directive is to establish procedures for the issuance of timely warning notices for Roane State Community College (RSCC) to immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on the campus. These warnings will be distributed if the incident is reported either directly or indirectly to the Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety or through a campus security authority, or individual citizen, or outside law enforcement.
Policy
1. The decision to issue a timely warning must be decided on a case-by-case basis in light of all the facts surrounding a crime, including such factors as:
  1. The nature of the crime
  2. The continuing danger to the campus community
  3. The possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts
2. The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety issues/posts timely warnings for the following incidents:
  1. Criminal homicide
  2. Aggravated assault (cases involving assaults among known parties, such as two friends fighting which results in an aggravated injury, will be evaluated to determine if the aggressor(s) is/are believed to be an on-going threat to the campus community as a whole)
  3. Robbery by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear (cases involving pick pocketing and purse snatching will typically not result in the issuance of a timely warning but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis)
  4. Sexual offenses (forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object and forcible fondling, incest, statutory rape) (considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the facts of the case, when and where the incident occurred, when it was reported, and the amount of information known by the director of Public Safety/Chief of Campus Police)
  5. Burglary
  6. Motor vehicle theft
  7. Arson
  8. Hate crimes
  9. Other crimes as determined necessary by the Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety, or their designee in their absence
3. A timely warning will typically include the following, unless issuing any of this information would risk compromising law enforcement efforts:
  1. Date and time or timeframe of the incident
  2. A brief description of the incident
  3. Information that will promote safety and potentially aid in the prevention of similar crimes (crime prevention or safety tips)
  4. Suspect description(s) when deemed appropriate and if there is sufficient detail (see below)
  5. Campus Police/Public Safety contact information
  6. Other information as deemed appropriate by the director or their designee (whether to shelter in place or evacuate)
    
    The description of subjects in a case will only be included in the timely warning if there is a sufficient amount of detail to describe an individual.
4. The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety in coordination with Public Relations, when possible, will draft and send timely warning alerts and updates. Depending upon the nature of the event, the Public Relations office will use RaiderAlert, public address system, campus e-mail, the college’s web page, news media, and/or social media to send notifications and updates. The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety will advise Public Relations whether the use of the college’s RaiderAlert notification system is required.
  1. Employees and students can sign up for RaiderAlerts here.
  2. Timely warnings will be filed in each case file with the corresponding incident number.
  3. The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety does not issue timely warnings for the above listed crimes if:
    1. The subject is apprehended and the threat of imminent danger for members of the college community has been mitigated by apprehension.
    2. If a report was not filed with the Campus Police or if the Campus Police were not notified of the crime in a manner that would allow the department to post a timely warning for the community. This type of situation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety will evaluate any late-filed reports of a crime to determine if a timely warning is nonetheless warranted.
For more information on evacuation or shelter in place please review policy GA-13-03 Emergency Notification and Evacuation. Access the complete detailed RSCC policy GA-13-03 at https://www.roanestate.edu/policies/.
Responsible Party
The Chief of Campus Police/Director of Public Safety shall be responsible for development and maintenance of this policy for issuance by the president.

Revision History: 07/01/2013

Revision Date Effective: 02/27/2023

Revision Approval By: Christopher L. Whaley, President

Original Date Effective: 07/01/2013

Original Approval By: Christopher L. Whaley, President

Office Responsible: Vice President for Business & Finance

Reviewed: 09/22/2022

Roane State Community College

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