Purpose: The purpose of this order is to establish the directives for sworn and civilian employees of the Kentucky State University Police and Public Safety Department in using and implementing the KSU Alert Emergency Notification System.
Definition: The KSU Alert system is an emergency message notification system used for delivering subscription based emergency messages to the campus community. The system is designed to deliver emergency or urgent messages by text messaging to cell phone subscribers, by emailing a subscribed email account, by delivering voice notifications, and by displaying KSU Alert messages on digital signage throughout the campus.
The fundamental goal of the KSU Alert system is to assist in promoting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, guests and subscribers. The system is designed to be used only during emergency situations that require an immediate action by the recipient or if a public service announcement is needed for the health and safety of the community.
Emergencies: Unplanned events that can cause physical injury to our students, faculty, staff, or the public; cause physical or environmental damage; or that can disrupt and/or damage research or educational operations. Examples would include but are not limited to:
Dangerous situations (active shooter, civil disturbance, hostage situation, explosion, etc.)
Fire or the threat of fire
Hazardous material leak/spill
Inclement weather delays/closures
Tornado warnings
Any activity in the immediate surrounding area of campus that could potentially put students, faculty and/or staff in danger.
KSU Alert Policy: It shall be the policy of Kentucky State University's Police and Public Safety Department to restrict the use of the KSU Alert system only to the dissemination of information related to the health and safety purposes. At no time may the KSU Alert system be used for personal uses. All University Police Department employees are required to sign up for the KSU Alert System. Kentucky State University's Police Department is the only authorized initiator to send campus emergency messages. The Information Technology department is responsible for maintaining the KSU Alert system. All University Police Department employees shall be trained in the proper use of KSU Alerts.
KSU Alert Procedure: Upon notification of authorization to initiate a KSU Alert message should be based on two key factors—threat to life/safety and response time to an immediate emergency or if any immediate or urgent action is required. The decision to initiate a notification through the KSU Alert system will be based on the situation and required immediate action. Activation of the KSU Alert emergency notification system shall be activated under the following circumstances:
1. Emergencies requiring immediate action: University Police Department Dispatcher will initiate notifications at the direction of the on duty supervisor or officer in charge, unless the dispatcher can confirm an immediate threat of an emergency such as shots fired, explosion, etc. Notifications will be made immediately unless, in the judgment of the on duty supervisor or officer in charge, the notification may compromise efforts to assist or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.