Confidential Crime Reporting Policy
It is the policy of UMass Amherst that community members should immediately report all crimes to the UMPD, whether they are victims or witnesses. Due to the sensitive nature of certain types of crimes, victims of sexual assault may choose to confidentially report crimes to the Dean of Students Office, Everywoman's Center, or to residence life staff.
Police reports are public records under state law, and therefore, the UMPD cannot hold reports of crime in confidence and will investigate all reports. When appropriate, we will refer violations of the law to the Dean of Students Office for review. When a potentially dangerous threat to the UMass Amherst community arises, we will issue timely warnings through e-mail announcements and the posting of Crime Alerts in the residence halls.
Timely Warning Policy
The UMPD is responsible for issuing crime alerts in compliance with the Clery Act. If a situation arises, either on or off campus, the UMPD will issue crime alerts to keep the campus community informed about safety and security matters. We decide whether to issue a crime alert on a case-by-case basis in light of all the facts surrounding a crime, including factors such as the nature of the crime, the continuing danger to the campus community, and the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts. The UMPD posts crime alerts for specific classifications: arson, aggravated assault, criminal homicide, robbery, and sex offenses, as well as other classifications as deemed necessary.
To issue a crime alert, police inform the campus community via a campus-wide e-mail addressed to students, faculty, and staff. This e-mail indicates that a crime alert has been issued and provides a link to the UMPD Public Safety Alert Web page. Additionally, the UMPD posts a copy of this notice in all affected residence halls and sends it to the student newspaper and area media outlets to further alert the campus community.
