Off-campus gun incident raises student concerns about safety in downtown Madison

An off-campus BadgerSAFE alert reported a person with a gun near the 400 block of W. Gilman St. on Thursday. Police arrived on the scene and the issue was resolved, but University of Wisconsin-Madison students living off-campus were left with unresolved concerns about the emergency alert systems put in place for student safety.

The University of Wisconsin Police Department manages WiscAlerts, the campus emergency notification system. WiscAlerts are issued when there is an immediate, actively occurring and confirmed emergency situation on campus, or an actively occurring threat heading toward campus that requires the community to take immediate action in order to stay safe. 

For off-campus emergencies, UWPD only sends notifications through the BadgerSAFE app if the incident occurs around the State Street and Langdon Street areas, according to District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan, who represents much of the UW-Madison area on Madison’s Common Council. 

BadgerSAFE alerts are opt-in, while students are automatically enrolled in WiscAlerts through wisc.edu emails. 

Even with two separate emergency alert apps, District 8 Alder Govindarajan and several students said they have concerns about their safety in Madison. 

Halle Decker, a UW-Madison sophomore, lives at Saxony apartments, close to the incident on W. Gilman. She told the Cardinal the current alert system does not make her feel as safe as it could.

“Many times, the alerts are several hours after the incident or do not get sent out to everyone who gets alerts at the same time,” Decker said. “I have had countless times that my mom has called or texted me saying she heard about an incident or danger on the Facebook page or got the alert and I didn’t, since she signed up to get them.”

UW-Madison sophomore Aidan Guyse agreed. 

“I believe the current system does not protect students living off campus. I believe there should be a better system in place to ensure the safety of everyone because it affects students living both on and off campus,” Guyse said. 

Following a neo-Nazi rally in downtown Madison, Govindarajan said he wants to expand the radius that UWPD sends alerts. 

“We have a lot of students on campus who don't want to go to Library Mall and see a bunch of Nazis walking around. That causes a lot of emotional distress,” Govindarajan said. “If they're able to avoid that because they know that it's happening, then they should have that ability to do so. No one should be surprised by such a horrific act happening.”

Govindarajan told the Cardinal there are complexities to the alert system. The Clery Act is a federal law that requires institutions of higher education to have in place certain security and safety policies and to disclose only certain crime statistics for the campus area.

In 2013, the Clery Act was amended to expand the list of crimes that fall under campus jurisdiction. It does not require college campuses to alert students of off-campus crime and emergencies. 

Govindarajan said he is working with UWPD Assistant Chief Brent Plisch to improve the WiscAlerts and BadgerSAFE notifications.

“If there are things that are happening that apply to student safety at all or if it's just helpful and might make students feel safer to know about them, send out an alert,” Govindarajan said. “If it's a threat to safety and might cause harm, send out a text message so students are aware of what's happening.”

Guyse said he hopes police will listen to student concerns and improve the system. 

“I pass by large groups of students off campus every day walking to and from class and think the alert system needs to be spread to cover a broader area of Madison,” Guyse said. “There is a large amount of students that live off campus such as myself.”

Decker said she would feel safer if there was a way to make sure all students on campus get these alerts as soon as the police know.

“I also think that it is important for UWPD and MPD to be more aware of off-campus crime,” Decker said. 

Govindarajan said he will continue to talk and engage with students and police to work toward a solution. 

“Madison is one of the safest cities in the country. But it is still a city,” Govindarajan said. “And when there is a dense, denser population, crime does happen more often than it does in a small town.”

Students are automatically enrolled in text and email WiscAlerts through their wisc.edu email. UW-Madison faculty and staff can opt-in to text alerts by signing up online. Madison community members and parents or guardians can text UWALERT to 77295 to enroll for WiscAlerts. 

Anyone can download BadgerSAFE and receive crime alerts and safety info directly to their phone. Additionally, the app allows contact with UWPD via call or text, the ability to walk virtually with a trusted friend or family member and access to campus resources.

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