Recent University of Iowa Safety Upgrades

The safety of our faculty, staff, students and visitors is of paramount importance at The University of Iowa. Over the past year, we have made significant enhancements to our on-campus security. Despite all the security upgrades we’ve made, however, we have to acknowledge that given our open campus, there is no way to guarantee absolutely that a tragedy such as those that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois will not occur at the UI.  So we urge everyone in the university community to exercise awareness and to be vigilant of what is going on in their immediate environment.

• The new Hawk Alert system is in place and fully operational, providing timely warnings in the case of emergency to students, faculty and staff via telephone, text, and email messages.
  
• The UI’s all hazard outdoor warning system is in place with towers in five locations (four on main campus and one at Oakdale), providing voice and/or siren warnings in the event of an emergency.
  
• The UI has recently selected and purchased building access control and security technology that is state of the art and will provide a foundation for us to grow and adapt our security systems to meet changing security demands.
  
• The UI has a Behavioral Risk Management team to assist with evaluating inappropriate behavior among faculty and staff; additionally, there is a threat assessment (pilot) team that has been formed to create a formal process to identify and respond to students, staff and faculty who may be at risk for violence to self or others.
  
• We have added cameras to selected areas on campus and will continue to expand our campus CCTV (closed circuit television) system to enhance safety.
  
• A UI crime prevention specialist, who is trained in CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) reviews building plans to assess features such as, lighting, landscaping, door placement, etc., for optimum safety.  
  
• The UI Department of Public Safety makes available to all faculty, staff, and students an educational program entitled “Dealing with Disruptive Persons,” which provides training for calming a distressed person.
  
• The University of Iowa Police now carry firearms and train with the Iowa City and Coralville Police Departments and the Johnson County Sheriff Department for responding to an active shooter.