An MU Alert message reporting gunfire near campus Sunday night was sent to students, faculty and staff. The alert was later clarified as firework blasts.
Maj. Scott Richardson, MU Police Department spokesperson, said MUPD received three different calls around 11:50 p.m. about possible shots fired and no indication of seeing fireworks. The tips went through the communications operator, and an alert was approved by a supervisor and sent out at 11:58 p.m.
After the text alert was sent, the office received a call confirming a fireworks sighting. MU Alert received some criticism for their approach.
@MUalert the boy who cried (Tim) Wolfe
Story continues below advertisement— dean mansur (@Red_Banker) March 21, 2016
@Red_Banker First message is an auto post that goes out with a report. Police then confirm info & we update.
— Mizzou (@Mizzou) March 21, 2016
This is the third MU Alert of the semester relating to gunfire.
Here’s an overview of how the MU Alert system receives information, processes it, and decides to alert students, faculty and staff:
– MUPD takes in calls and online threat tips.
– A communications operator, on hand 24/7, compiles incoming information.
– A supervisor assesses information and instructs the operator to send out one of 10 to 12 alert templates through an appropriate communication tool. These include phone calls, text messages and campus computer desktop notifications. According to the MU Alert [website](http://mualert.missouri.edu/whatToDo/alert-system-overview.php), messages are not sent when an immediate danger is isolated to one location. MU generally restricts campus-wide alerts to a threat impacting the entire campus or the location of the threat can not be pinpointed.
According to the MU Alert website, its goal is to reach students and staff quickly, while being selective in order to avoid over-notification or spreading partial information.
“Our overall (vision for campus safety) is to support a safe learning environment for students, and provide information about threats on and near campus,” Richardson said.
_Edited by Bri Considine | bconsidine@themaneater.com_
