Towson University’s Police Communications Center sends emergency messages whenever there are urgent safety concerns on or near campus. Dispatchers follow the university’s emergency communications matrix, which plans for when and how messages will be sent based on the level of threat, proximity of threat and potential impact to the campus community.
We use the following platforms to communicate emergencies:
Members of the TU campus community who have university-issued email addresses (@towson.edu) automatically receive emergency alerts via email. TU students, faculty and staff also automatically receive emergency notifications by text message.
Two of the most common types of TU emergency communications are emergency alerts and safety advisories.
TU emergency alerts are urgent messages about incidents on campus. Emergency alerts are sent via email to all university-issued email accounts and via text message. TU students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled to receive all emergency text alerts. Parents, community members and other non-affiliated individuals are encouraged to register for emergency text alerts. Emergency alerts are also posted on the TUPD’s news page.
The types of messages sent as TU emergency alerts include:
TU emergency alerts also include Clery Emergency Notifications and Clery Timely Warning
Notices.
Clery Emergency Notifications (text and email) inform the campus community of a significant emergency or dangerous
situation occurring on campus involving an immediate, imminent or impending threat
to the health and safety of the campus community.
Clery Timely Warning Notices (via email only) notify the campus community whenever there is an on-campus Clery
Act crime that represents a serious or continuing threat to the safety of students
or employees.
TU safety advisories are safety and informational messages about incidents that are not known to be immediate threats to individuals on TU’s campus. Safety advisories are typically sent via email to all university-issued email accounts.
The types of messages sent as TU safety advisory notifications include:
Parents and families can register to receive alerts from the TU Office of Public Safety by completing the Emergency Text Alert Sign Up form.
Towson University provides up-to-date information on closings and events to the local media outlets listed below. These outlets are reliable resources for university information in the case of inclement weather or an emergency situation.
The Towson University Office of Public Safety maintains a Twitter account. The accounts are used to disseminate TU emergency alerts, safety advisories, crime-prevention suggestions and safety tips and general posts about the university and local community.
Our Police Communications Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call us at 410-704-4444 to report a crime or share suspicious activity. You can also contact our non-emergency number, 410-704-2134, for any questions or concerns.
There are 235 phones in TU’s public emergency phone system. This includes 64 Blue Light pedestal phones and 54 other emergency phones on the exterior of buildings, at entrances to buildings and in the garage elevator lobbies across campus. Activating the emergency telephone system prompts a call directly to the Towson University Police Department.
The SaferMobility app features three main components: a mobile-escort feature that tracks your touch and, if you take your finger off the screen, sounds an alarm and calls the police; a video component that allows you to video chat with the TU Police Department and send them real-time video of an ongoing crime; and an instant message feature that allows you to message the TU Police Department in situations where you don’t want to be heard. To download the free app, search for Towson University in the App Store or on Google Play, then select SaferMobility.
We strive to provide professional, community-oriented policing services to the campus community. We welcome your feedback. If you have a question or concern, contact our administrative offices at 410-704-2505, email us at police AT_TOWSON or complete the confidential feedback form and fax it to the Chief of Police Joe Herring at 410-704-5984.