On Sunday morning around 2 a.m., an Iowa City resident was attacked near the edge of Iowa and Dodge streets by a man brandishing a knife, according to a press release issued by the Iowa City Police Department Sunday morning.
 

Although many University of Iowa students live in this area, no one received students received a Hawk Alert notification. Later that day, however, a Hawk Alert was issued when a man with a knife was sighted near Market and Gilbert Street. As of press time, there has been no official indication that these two incidents were related at the time of publication.

Another notification was sent later reading that a man matching the description was brought into custody.

Although the UI and the UI Police Department work in tandem to keep students safe and aware of their surroundings through the Hawk Alert notifications, some students are not sure how they work, and what their history is.

Hayley Bruce, with the UI Office of Strategic Communications, wrote in an email that under a federal law called the Clery Act, all colleges and universities are required to notify their communities about any serious or continuing threat to students and employees.

“The UI issues Hawk Alerts to inform students, faculty and staff of incidents that could pose an imminent risk to their personal safety so they can take the appropriate actions to avoid becoming the victim of a crime,” Bruce wrote in the email.

UI faculty and students can receive Hawk Alerts through calls to their home or mobile phone, text messages, or emails. However, the Hawk Alert website states that the quickest and most efficient way to reach people is through texts. Individuals can update and decide which method they prefer on their website.

Bruce wrote that the Hawk Alerts sent out on Sunday were only the second and third of this semester, and the fifth of this calendar year. She also added that three of those five were weather-related, as severe weather is also included in the Hawk Alert system.

In regards to this Sunday’s events, Bruce explained, a Hawk Alert can only be issued by the UI police, so if an incident is reported to the Iowa City police, that department can decide whether to recommend a Hawk Alert to their UI counterpart.

Bruce wrote that the incident early Sunday morning did not merit a Hawk Alert because it did not happen on campus or in the adjacent downtown area.

“The incident did not pose an imminent safety risk. It is also important to remember that if an incident is not reported University of Iowa Police, the university cannot issue a Hawk Alert,” she wrote.

Almost three-quarters of the student population lives in off-campus housing, however, so some students can be impacted by threats that are away from central campus.

“We share information with the UIPD (for example: the man with the knife) but the University of Iowa is solely responsible for deciding what makes that criteria and what gets sent out,” said the Iowa City Police Department’s Interim Police Chief and Captain Troy Kelsay.

Sunday’s Hawk Alert regarding the man with the knife was issued because this person reportedly confronted a group of students who then called the incident in, Bruce said.

“The UIPD issued the Hawk Alert to inform the community of a possibly dangerous situation,” Director of Public Safety Scott Beckner wrote in an email. “Though the suspect’s intentions were unknown, the UIPD wanted to provide this information to campus so students, faculty and staff could take the necessary action to avoid the area to preserve their personal safety.”

Txgx:

Hawk Alerts are a system put in place the UI Department of Safety to notify faculty and students of ongoing dangerous situations

You can sign up for Hawk Alerts via MyUI

In the October 5th article “Hawk Alert”, the DI incorrectly reported that Sunday afternoon’s hawk alert was sent out when a man approached a group of students. The correct information is that the man approached a group of people, not specifically students. The DI regrets this error.