What is a Public Safety Alert?

Public Safety will issue a timely warning (Public Safety Alert) to the campus community, that withholds identifying information of victims, when a Clery Act crime occurs within the College's identified Clery geography; is reported to Public Safety directly, to a Campus Security Authority or local police agency; and is considered by Public Safety to represent a serious or on-going threat to students, employees, or other members of the campus community. The Director and Chief of Public Safety, or their designee, is responsible for determining whether or not a Public Safety Alert will be issued.

A Public Safety Alert must be reasonably likely to reach the entire campus community and must be issued in a manner that gets the word out quickly and effectively. Public Safety is responsible for facilitating the distribution of the Public Safety Alert through a combination of dissemination methods, which may include Ithaca College issued email, any Ithaca College web portal, Public Safety Alert posted notices in residence halls, academic buildings and common areas on campus, and may result in the initiation of the Emergency Notification System.

A Public Safety Alert will typically include the following unless issuing any of this information would risk compromising law enforcement efforts:

  • Date and time or time frame of the incident; a brief description of the incident; information that will promote safety and potentially aid in the prevention of similar crimes; suspect description(s) when deemed appropriate and if there is sufficient detail; law enforcement contact information; and other information as deemed appropriate.

The intent of a Public Safety Alert is to provide information to enable members of the college community to protect themselves, and to prevent similar crimes from occurring.

Community members, students, faculty, staff, and guests are encouraged to report all crimes and safety-related incidents to the Office of Public Safety in a timely manner. Crimes should be reported to ensure inclusion in the annual crime statistics and to aid in providing timely warning notices to the community, when appropriate. Anyone with information warranting a timely warning should report the circumstances to the Ithaca College Office of Public Safety by phone (607-274-3333), or in person at the Office of Public Safety located in the Center for Public Safety and General Services on Farm Pond Road.  The Office of Public Safety is staffed 24/7 year round.