Campus Police Use E-Mail To Warn Students About Assaults

As they arrive on campus over the next two weeks, 34,605 UW–Madison students with e-mail addresses will find an important message from campus police waiting for them when they log on to their computers.

The “Personal Safety Alert,” sent out early Thursday morning, informs the students about the break-ins, sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults that have occurred in student housing areas west of the Capitol since early April.

The message (view message) urges the students to take precautionary measures designed to prevent their victimization and provides a list of those measures. It also gives descriptions of the suspects in the crimes, the number for Madison Area Crimestoppers (266-6041), and numbers to call for crime prevention information.

“Most of the off-campus students are moving in this week, and we wanted to make sure we reach them the minute they tap into their e-mail,” said Lt. Dale Burke, whose name is listed as the sender of the message.

Burke said the value of word of mouth communication resulting from the message can’t be underestimated either. “If everyone who reads it talks to someone else about it, it just magnifies the impact,” he said.

Detective Eric Holen, who represented campus police at the Summer Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) sessions this summer, came up with the idea of sending the blanket e-mail to students, Burke said. The police department turned to the Dean of Students Office and the Division of Information Technology for help in getting the word out via cyberspace. The cost to the department amounted to only a couple of cents per e-mail message sent.

“I can’t think of a better, more efficient way to reach a large number of students than through this medium,” said Burke.

“It’s kind of a trial balloon, too,” he added. “If people like this method of receiving information, it gives us another weapon in our arsenal of crime prevention tools.”

Within a few hours of sending out the message, Burke began receiving e-mail replies thanking the department for its efforts.

“I really appreciate your e-mail about the safety alert,” responded one student. “I have heard stories about these assaults, but had no clue about what was going on. We will take adequate precautions. Thanks.”

Another wrote: “This way of notifying all the students is a great idea … you are doing a great job!” Thank you for looking out for all of us. You are one of the reasons that Madison is such a great place to live!”