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Cornell University

Emergency Notifications

Pursuant to the Clery Act, the Cornell University Police Department provides emergency notifications to the Ithaca campus community in the form of Timely Warnings (Crime Alert) and Emergency Mass Notifications (CornellALERT).

Timely Warnings (Crime Alerts)
In the event that a situation arises, which, in the judgment of the Chief of Cornell Police or their designee, constitutes a serious or continuing threat to students and employees of the institution, a campus-wide timely warning will be issued.  The warning will be sent as a Crime Alert email.  It will also be posted on the Division of Public Safety website.

Decisions to disseminate a Crime Alert are decided on a case-by-case basis, in light of all the facts surrounding the crime and the continuing danger to the campus community. The purpose of a Crime Alert is to aid in the prevention of similar crimes by alerting the community about the incident and providing information on actions people can take to diminish their chances of being victimized. Crime Alerts contain a brief description of the incident; the date, time, location of the incident; and precautions to take; however, they will not provide details as found in a press release or news article. The amount and type of information presented in the warning will vary depending on the circumstances of the crime. Warnings will be issued unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

Significant criminal incidents that might elicit a Timely Warning include all Clery reportable crimes or other criminal acts that pose a serious or continuing threat to the safety of the campus community.  Anyone with information warranting a Timely Warning should report the circumstances to the Cornell Police by phone (607) 255-1111 or in person at the Public Safety Dispatch Center located at G2 Barton Hall.

View current or previous Crime Alerts

Emergency Mass Notifications (CornellALERT)
In the event a situation arises that, in the judgment of the Chief or Cornell Police or their designee, constitutes a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community, an Emergency Mass Notification, or EMN, is written and distributed without delay, to the campus.

At Cornell, EMN messages are sent as a CornellALERT.  Notification will always be sent via email to the campus community.  In addition, notifications may be sent via voice and SMS (text) messaging to community members who have opted into the university voice and SMS (text) messaging systems.  Visit emergency.cornell.edu/alert/ to opt in.  Sirens/public address messages may also be activated to the four towers on campus.

All messages will contain a brief description of the incident and precautions to take.  Following the immediate notification from any of these systems, the campus community is advised to go to a safe location and monitor emergency.cornell.edu for additional information and instructions.