University of Illinois

Statement from UIC Chief of Police

To the Students, Faculty, and Staff of UIC:

In light of yesterday’s tragic events at Northern Illinois University, I would like to give our campus an update on the security measures in place at UIC.

The UIC Police Department has more than 70 uniformed officers on staff and patrols the campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with the mission of protecting students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors. Our officers are trained, dedicated, and prepared to respond on a moment's notice. Rest assured that they are ready when called upon. UIC police work closely with Chicago police and our colleagues at neighboring institutions on the near west side to provide a safe environment for our community.

Several years ago, the UIC Police Department established its "Safe Schools Plan" which outlines the response procedures that the UIC police will take in the event that there is an "active shooter" on the campus. Each newly hired UIC police officer undergoes three days of tactical response training in this plan and receives refresher training once per year thereafter. UIC police officers attend the Chicago Police Academy and are state-certified. Additionally, we have several officers on each shift who are qualified in Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). These officers train with and can be backed up by units of the Chicago Police Department and US Marshals Service should the need arise. Thus, we are prepared to respond immediately to an incident like the one at Northern Illinois. UIC Police have conducted "active shooter" training exercises at various locations on the campus over the past year. Also, we have the capability to remotely lock building exterior doors precluding anyone from entering a facility, but allowing occupants to leave. This system is already in place in some buildings, and we will continue to expand this system across the campus.

There are more than 1,000 Startel alarm stations (the call boxes with the blue lights) which anyone can use to make an emergency call to the UIC police to report an incident. Your call will be immediately answered from our state-of-the-art telecommunications center. From this center, UIC police can be dispatched to any location. We also have almost 60 real-time surveillance cameras monitoring outdoor areas of the campus and tunnels on the west side of campus.

In case of a major event, the UIC Police Department will activate its Incident Command System, which allows us to track events on the campus by communicating with officers at the incident location and through our extensive network of surveillance cameras. We can also call on assistance from the Chicago and State Police.

UIC utilizes a number of means to communicate emergency or other urgent information to the campus. These include:

Finally, I would urge everyone on the campus to visit the UIC Police Department Web site http://www.uic.edu/depts/police/index.html and watch the UIC Police Informational Video, which includes vital information on how to contact the Police Department and receive assistance.

Please never hesitate to contact us if we can be of service. Our new emergency phone line is (312) 355-5555 (5-5555 from campus phones) and the general number for the police is (312) 996-2830. We are always available to give safety and security briefings to departments and groups on campus.

Sincerely,

John Richardson, Chief of Police