Hawk Alerts vs. Crime Alerts

Many people confuse Hawk Alerts and Crime Alerts. Here are the differences:

Crime Alert Policy

When  the  Director  of  Public Safety  or his  designee  receives a report of a crime, it is reviewed to determine if there is a serious or continuing threat to the campus community. In the event a crime is reported, that in the judgment of the Director of Public Safety or his  designee  constitutes a  serious  or  continuing  threat  to  the campus community, but does not rise to the level of a campus emergency, a campus wide crime alert will be issued in
the form of a “crime alert” email.

Crime Alerts are typically issued for the following Uniform Crime Reporting  Program  (UCR)/National  Incident   Based   Reporting  System (NIBRS) crime classifications:

• Murder/Non-Negligent Manslaughter
• Aggravated Assault (cases involving assaults among known parties, such as two roommates fighting which results in an aggravated injury, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if the individual is believed to be an ongoing threat to the larger University community).
• Robbery  involving  force  or  violence  (cases  including  pick pocketing and purse snatching will typically not result in the issuance of a Timely Warning Notice, but will be assessed on a case-by-case basis).
• Rape and Fondling are considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the facts of the case, when and where the incident occurred, when it was reported, and the amount of information known by the Director of Public Safety. In cases involving sexual assault,  they are often reported long after the incident occurred, thus there is no ability to distribute a “timely” warning notice to the community. All cases of sexual assault, including stranger and non-stranger/acquaintance cases, will be assessed for potential issuance of a Crime Alert notice.
• Major incidents of Arson
• Other Clery Act crimes as determined necessary by Director of Public Safety, or his or her designee in his or her absence.

The Director of Public Safety or his designee will develop the crime alert and issue it to the community by mass email. The mass email will be sent to all University of Iowa community members at their uiowa.edu email address with the pertinent facts and details of the crime known to  the UI Department of Public Safety and, if relevant, any suspect information and suggestions for protective measures a person could take.

The Clery Act requires the names of victims be withheld as confidential from the crime alert. The decision to issue a crime alert will be decided on a case by case basis in light of all the facts surrounding a crime, including factors such as  the  amount  of information known by the UI  Department of Public Safety, the nature of the crime, the possible  risk  of  compromising  law enforcement efforts, and whether there is a continuing danger to
campus community.

Crime Alerts