Security system notifies, annoys

The first alert arrived at 4:01 a.m. Sunday.

Phones buzzed and email notifications sounded with the message, informing 66,300 faculty, students and staff affiliated with IU-Bloomington of an armed individual on campus.

Almost half the users received the alert as a text message, which read, “IU Bloomington Alert! An armed individual is at large on the BL campus. Take safe shelter. Lock door. Follow instruction from authorities.”

The notifications came through IU Notify, IU’s security system to send out mass emergency and security messages including emails, phone calls and text messages. 
By default, all faculty, staff and students are subscribed to IU Notify via the information they provided during enrollment or hiring. Parents can also subscribe to receive safety updates via email.

“We try to use every mode that we possibly can to get the message out,” said Debbi Fletcher, director of Emergency Management and Continuity.

A follow-up message was sent twice Sunday, first at 5:34 a.m. and then 6:40 a.m., indicating the suspect was armed with a knife and that the incident occurred near Tulip Tree apartments.

“When it was initially put out, it was not known if this was a stranger attack or a random attack of violence,” IU Police Department Lt. Craig Munroe said. “Not knowing that, we asked people to (take) shelter and stay in place. Things move so fast it’s hard to get accurate information right away.”

The all-clear was sent at 7:52 a.m.

The United States Department of Education’s Clery Act requires schools send a notification in emergency or safety situations and send an all-clear when the danger has passed.

Fletcher said the additional messages were sent Sunday morning to update recipients.

“We didn’t want people to think ‘everything’s OK now’ and go about their normal activities,” she said.

However, Fletcher said sending too many messages could desensitize the
recipient.

“If we send so many messages that they say ‘whatever,’ that means that now they are going to miss that emergency notice,” she said.

Mark Land, associate vice president of government affairs and public relations, said IU would rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough.

Because of the amount of traffic the alerts directed to the Protect IU website, University Information Technology System representatives said users experienced difficulty accessing IU Notify. Services returned to normal by 8 a.m.

“If the website gets hit too many times, we’ve had issues,” Fletcher said. “We’re identifying the problem.”

IU Notify alerts range from armed individuals and tornado warnings to information on weather or incidents such as an off-campus gas leak.

The system is a flat fee, so individual alerts do not cost IU more money, Fletcher said.
The cost is about $200,000 a year to support the system for all IU campuses, Fletcher said.

The University has issued alerts for three incidents since January: one warning of a robbery near campus, one test of the system and the alerts sent Sunday.
Fletcher said on average there are about five to seven IU alert messages a year, most for severe weather.

In less immediate cases, alerts might be sent out only in an email, Fletcher explained. 

In situations identified as emergencies, IU Notify alerts will be sent to all the contact information the system has for that individual.

Both IUPD and Emergency Management have access to the notify system, with a
dispatcher available constantly. Only public safety and IU administration officials can send messages to the entire system.

“We will only send the message if we want people to do something,” Fletcher said.
Emergency situations are identified based on a list emergency management has compiled. The list includes assaults, active shooters, bomb threats, terrorism and extreme weather.

“You look at something and try to decide if there is going to be a potential danger, potential loss of life or property,” Munroe said.

Fletcher said she received critical comments that an alert was sent out although the suspect was carrying a knife rather than a gun.

“It was still a dangerous situation,” she said, adding that the notifications keep users from approaching the area and causing confusion or chaos.

Other users were frustrated they received the notification when they live off campus, she said.

“We don’t have the capability to select who it’s sent to,” she said. “You’re going to get the message if you are affiliated with IU-Bloomington.”

An ongoing review of the process may let users select how to receive messages in the future. Presently, to receive text alerts users must add their number through OneStart.
There is currently no university-sanctioned way to remove a user’s contact information from the system.

“At this point, there is no way to opt-out,” Fletcher said. “I know it causes inconveniences. People don’t like to get messages early in the morning. We made the decision as a University that everyone needs to get the message as a matter of safety.”

Land said the system worked well Sunday and called the police response to the alleged crime “outstanding.”

“We can’t make people stay in place,” Land said. “This is not an elementary school where we can make people stay in a classroom with their heads under a desk.”

Fletcher said despite complaints about receiving the notifications early in the morning, the notifications served their purposes of alerting everyone on campus.

“We’re going to send the message because safety is number one,” Fletcher said. “We will err on the side of caution.”