Timely Warnings

Emory University follows a Timely Warning Protocol, as described below, to provide all Emory campus communities (as appropriate) with timely notification of the occurrence of certain “Clery Crimes” covered by the Clery Act. The Timely Warning Protocol applies to all Emory University campuses. Timely Warnings, known at Emory as “Public Safety Notices,” shall be provided to students and employees in a manner that is timely, that withholds the names of victims as confidential, and that will aid in the prevention of similar potentially dangerous or threatening occurrences.

In order to have a Public Safety Notice posted under the Timely Warning Protocol and/or to have a crime included within the statistical section of the Annual Security Report, the crime report should be made to EPD; to the Security Department providing services on campuses not directly serviced by EPD; or, if the reporter is a designated Campus Security Authority (CSA), via Emory’s online Campus Security Authority report form available on the home page. Any reports initially received by in-house or contract security services staff at any of Emory’s campuses shall be reported to EPD for consideration of Timely Warning and statistical reporting requirements.

Note, however, that Emory University is not required to issue a Public Safety Notice with respect to crimes reported to a pastoral or professional counselor acting in that University-designated role.

The Director of Clery Act Compliance (or designee) must be notified by EPD or via the online CSA Incident Report form process of the occurrence of a Clery crime that might represent a serious or continuing threat to the community. The Director of Clery Act Compliance (or designee) shall review the incident and, in consultation with the assistance of the AVP Office of Ethics and Compliance, and Emory’s Office of General Counsel, determine which situations warrant the issuance of a Public Safety Notice. The determination will be made on a case-by-case basis. Factors considered in determining if a Public Safety Notice will be issued generally include, but are not limited to:

  • The nature of the crime or conduct and whether the reported incident represents a crime reportable under the Clery Act.
  • The location of the incident and whether the incident occurred within the University’s Clery reportable geography.
  • The time elapsed between when the incident occurred and when the incident was reported to EPD (depending on the specific facts of the incident, the more time that has elapsed between occurrence and time of the report, the less helpful a Public Safety Notice would be to the campus community).
  • The nature and duration of any relationship between the individuals involved in a reported incident, and the alleged conduct in the context of their relationship.
  • A determination as to whether the incident is believed to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees.
  • Whether sufficient and reliable information is available about the reported incident, or meaningful safety education can be provided along with the notice about the incident, so that if disseminated, members of the Emory University community can reasonably use it to protect themselves or prevent a similar crime from occurring.

A Public Safety Notice may be issued even if all the facts surrounding a reported incident are not yet available and are subject to further development in an investigation. This ensures that such reports are provided to our campus community in a timely manner and aid in the prevention of similar occurrences. Reports will not contain the names of victims to maintain their confidentiality.

The Director of Clery Act Compliance (or designee) will draft a Public Safety Notice when deemed appropriate and submit it for review as part of the consultation process with the AVP Office of Ethics and Compliance and the Office of General Counsel. The Director of Clery Act Compliance (or designee) shall then submit the approved Public Safety Notice draft to the University’s Office of Communications and Marketing, who is responsible for distributing the notice. The notice shall be distributed via Emory email listserv, which includes all Emory University and Emory Healthcare (EHC) email addresses for all faculty, staff, and students throughout all campuses.

A Public Safety Notice shall include information deemed appropriate based on the specific facts and circumstances in each situation, but typically contains the following types of information:

  • The type or classification of the reported incident
  • A succinct statement of the incident
  • The date, time, and location of the incident, if available
  • Possible connection to previous incidents, if applicable
  • Other relevant and important information about the crime or incident
  • Date and time the Public Safety Notice was released, and
  • Information on crime prevention, personal safety, and other community safety resources, as appropriate.

The University may decide not to include some known information in a Public Safety Notice if providing that information could risk compromising law enforcement efforts or if the information would not reasonably contribute to the goal of allowing members of the Emory University to use it to protect themselves or prevent a similar crime from occurring. Public Safety Notices may also seek information that may lead to arrest and conviction of the offender when violent crimes against persons or major crimes against property have been reported to the police.