Murray State University Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management

REPORTING CRIME AND EMERGENCIES

Students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus are encouraged to report emergencies and criminal activity to the Murray State Police Department. To report an emergency, dial 911 from any campus telephone or push the button on an emergency call box. Emergency call boxes connect directly to the Police Department when the button is pushed. Officers are immediately dispatched to the site of any complaint. Criminal activity can also be reported in person at the Murray State Police Department. It is important to report crime and cooperate with police so proper investigation can occur. Anonymous crime reports may be sent to Murray State Police, 101 Public Safety Building , Murray , KY 42071.

You may also report a crime to a Campus Security Authority, some of which are: Residential College Advisors, Residential College Directors, Athletics Coaches, and Student Affairs staff (a complete list is available at www.murraystate.edu/publicsafety/campussecurityauthorities.htm ). Campus Security Authorities must immediately report crimes they have personally observed or have been reported to them. The Handbook for Campus Crime Reporting published by the U. S. Department of Education notes on page 50: “The function of a campus security authority is to report to the appropriate law enforcement personnel…” It is preferable that Campus Security Authorities report the suspected crime by completing a General Incident Reporting Form (which can be found at www.murraystate.edu/publicsafety/ under the heading “Forms”) and faxing it to Murray State Police at 270-809-3692. If the form is not used, Campus Security Authorities must call MSU Police (2222) in order to report. If a Campus Security Authority’s area has directed that the form be used, please follow those directions. Likewise, hearsay reports of crime are to be immediately reported to the MSU Police Department.

If you are the victim of a crime and do not want to pursue action within the University system or criminal justice system, you may still want to consider making a confidential report. With your permission, the Chief or designee of MSU Police can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential. Reports filed in this manner as well as crimes made known to a Campus Security Authority or reported by a victim, offender, or witness of crimes are included in the campus crime statistics.

Pastoral counselors and professional counselors, while functioning within the scope of their license or certification, are not Campus Security Authorities. However, they are encouraged to inform the victim they are counseling that the victim may report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis as described. These confidential reports will be included in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.

We strongly encourage adherence to all University, local, state, and federal laws and rules of conduct to assure maximum safety and security.

Possession and/or use of firearms, ammunition, or other weapons, including any dangerous article or substance with the potential to injure or cause fear in another person, is prohibited.

Annual Crime Awareness and Campus Security Report

Murray State Police, with the assistance of other departments within the University, prepares the annual report in compliance with federal and state law. Statistics are compiled from reports made directly to University Police and reports received from Campus Security Authorities. Information regarding campus disciplinary referrals is obtained from Housing and Student Affairs.

Information about crimes occurring at off-campus property owned, leased, or controlled by Murray State University is solicited from the respective police agencies. Data received from these sources are compiled with and included in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.

Special Reports of Crime

A timely warning will be made to the campus when any crime reported to University or local police presents a safety or security threat to the University community. The timely warning will be made as soon as facts are known and will be in a manner that will aid in the prevention of similar occurrences. A campus-wide e-mail, posting of a flier at each Residential College , and issuing a MSU News Bureau release will be used.

Murray State University has recently updated the outdoor warning system to include speakers that use both siren and voice directions. The University also has implemented a program to use the on-campus phones as a means of distributing emergency information through voice through the external phone speaker and text through the phone display.

The Murray State Police maintains all required logs and makes timely warnings of crimes determined to present a safety or security threat to the campus community. The Murray State Police Department, under the direction of the Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services, and with such assistance as it deems necessary, will maintain, revise, and disseminate timely warnings as required.