UI defends infrequent use of campus alert system
MOSCOW (AP) - Officials at the University of Idaho defended their infrequent use of a campus emergency alert system, after it was not used when a gun was fired into a residence hall on the Moscow campus over the weekend.
The university also didn't immediately issue an alert last August, when a professor gunned down a graduate student at her off-campus home three days after resigning, the Lewiston Tribune reported Wednesday.
There is no strict set of rules for how and when the system is used, said security director Matt Dorschel. His department considers using the system on a case-by-case basis, and the decision often centers on whether there is a clear and present danger, he said.
"It could be a weather event or a natural disaster, not just a crime, that would lead us to use the system," Dorschel said. "That's what we talk about when we bring our response group together to make those decisions."
In the most recent case, the university reported no one was injured when a single gunshot was fired at the Targhee Fine Arts residence hall around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The bullet hit a lighting fixture then ricocheted into a cinder block wall.
An initial investigation suggested the gun may have been fired from a nearby street. Witnesses reported two men traveling in a white sport utility vehicle were in the area around the time of the shooting, though no suspects were named.
Authorities who responded determined the incident was most likely isolated and there was not enough information to prompt a campus alert, Dorschel said.
"Notifications need to be more than just an alert," he said. "We need to have a message that is informative but also instructive, so that we can give concrete actions that our campus community can take to mitigate the risks to themselves or others."
The university contracts a private company to provide the alert system. Faculty and staff are automatically subscribed to receive alerts through email, text messages and voicemail. Students are also included in the database of subscribers, but they can opt out and choose not to receive the messages.
People outside the campus community need permission from university officials, but the school may explore changing that. At nearby Washington State University, for example, anyone can sign up to receive emergency alerts.
"We do have a small community, and we want to foster a strong relationship," Dorschel said.
Administrators contend they didn't immediately alert students in the Aug. 22 death of Katy Benoit based on the advice of police, who determined suspect Ernesto Bustamante did not present an ongoing threat to others.
The university did issue an alert the next morning, when police cordoned off a hotel in Moscow where they said Bustamante turned a gun on himself. The alert told recipients that police were asking the public to steer clear of the area.
The murder-suicide resulted in a storm of emotions among faculty and administrators on campus. Some people were angry, contending the school's initial response was too slow, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and other Idaho newspapers.
Information from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com