Page 316 - 2012-2013 TMCC College Catalog

F-24 2012-2013 TMCC College Catalog
TIMELY WARNING NOTICES
The TMCC police department (TMCCPD) is responsible for
issuing timely warnings in compliancewith the Jeanne Clery Act,
20 U.S.C. 1092(f ). Timely warnings will be issued in response to
reported crimes committed either on campus or, in some cases,
off campus that, in the judgment of the College, constitute
an ongoing or continuing threat to students and employees.
Anyone with information believed to warrant a timely warning
should promptly report circumstances to:
Truckee Meadows Community College Police Dept.
7000 Dandini Blvd., RDMT 241
Reno, NV 89512
775-674-7900
TMCCPDwill consult, as appropriate and necessary, with other
college officials regarding whether a timely warning should be
issued. The decision to issue a timely warning shall be made on
a case-by-case basis after consideration of the available facts,
including factors such as the nature of the crime, the continuing
danger or risk to the campus community, and the possible risk
of compromising law enforcement efforts. Timely warnings are
considered for the following classifications of reported crimes:
• Criminal homicide
• Sex offenses
• Robbery
• Aggravated assault
• Burglary
• Motor vehicle theft
• Arson
Timely warnings may also be issued for other reported crimes
as deemed appropriate under the circumstances. The decision
will be made in compliance with the Clery Act and in an effort
to prevent similar crimes from occuring. When a determination
is made that a timely warning should be issued, TMCCPD will
take appropriate steps to ensure timely notification of the
campus community. Options for notification include, but are
not necessarily limited to, the College’s mass notification system
(phone, text and email), physical postings on doors and bulletin
boards,www.tmcc.edu,or the TMCCPD website.
Warnings will include some or all of the following information:
the date, time and location of the reported crime; a summary
of the incident; a description of the suspect and/or vehicle, if
available; and any other special instructions or incident specific
safety tips.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND EVACUATION PROCEDURES
TMCC developed the following procedures to facilitate
notification and evacuation responses in an emergency:
Upon the confirmation of an emergency or dangerous
situation involving an immediate threat to the health and
safety of students or employees occuring on campus, TMCC
will immediately notify the campus community using a
systemized emergency communication procedure. The college
has developed an integrated procedure, which includes all of
the following: voicemail messaging, text messaging, emails to
computers, outdoor mass notification system announcements
using handheld siren/voice alert devices, indoor notifications
using public address systems and website notifications via
the TMCC home page and select social media outlets (e.g.,
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace). The content of the message will
vary depending on the situation. TMCC will, without delay, and
taking into account the safety of the community, determine the
content of the notification and initiate the notification system,
unless the notification will, in the professional judgement of
responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist victims or
to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.
The emergency notification process involves the receipt
of information, the verification of this information, and the
evaluation of the information, which sets into motion the
following actions:
• Determination if the entire campus community, or just
an affected portion, will receive the emergency alert
notification
• Compilation of the content of the emergency alert message
• Activation of the TMCC Emergency Alert Notification
System
• Broadcasting of evacuation procedures, methods and means
The following TMCC individuals, at a minimum, will routinely
be involved in making these determinations/decisions:
• President or designee
• Vice President of Finance and Administration or designee
• Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services or
designee
• Chief of Police or designee
• Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator or designee
• Public Information Officer or designee
The Public Information Officer will, working on conjunction
withtheabovelistedindividuals,beresponsiblefordisseminating
the emergency information to the larger community using
the TMCC Emergency Alert Notification System (voicemail
messaging, text messaging, emails, Timely Warning Notice,
press releases, and/or webpage alert messages).
TMCC’s Emergency Alert Notification System equipment is
tested at least annually to ensure it is working properly. At least
once per calendar year, the college will conduct a full activation
of the TMCC Emergency Alert Notification System, which will be
advertised beforehand to the Reno/Sparks community.
MISSING STUDENT OR PERSON
For purposes of personal safety concerns of TMCC students, a
person may be considered to be a ‘missing person’ if the person’s
absence is contrary to his/her usual pattern of behavior and
unusual circumstances may have caused the absence. Such
circumstances may include, but not be limited to, a report or
suspicion that the missing person may be the victim of foul
play, has expressed suicidal thoughts, is drug dependent, is in
a life-threatening situation, or has been with persons who may
endanger the student’s welfare. If such circumstances exist,
a “Missing Person” report may be taken by the TMCC Police
Department and an investigation begun to locate the person of
interest. This investigation may include notification of other law
enforcement agencies, entering the missing person and vehicle
into NCIC.
SAFETY TIPS
• Avoid working or studying alone at night.
• Stay in well-lit areas, walk mid-point between curbs and
buildings, away from alleys and bushes.
• Don’t carry extra credit cards or money.
• Walk with someone whenever possible; use the buddy
system.
• Use TMCC’s Dandini Campus escort service after dark.
• If your purse or wallet is snatched, don’t fight back. Turn it
over rather than risk personal injury and report the incident
immediately.
• Do not place purses, portable radios, stereos, TV sets or
other valuables near windows, which can be smashed by a
tempted burglar.