Spring Break
Crime reported too late to send text alert, police say
Brady Holt
Issue date: 8/21/08 Section: News
University Police did not send a text message alerting the campus community to an attempted kidnapping Aug. 13 because the victim reported the crime 14 hours after the incident.
Police distributed an e-mail crime alert for the incident, but Dillon said the victim reported it too slowly for the student body to benefit from a text alert, which he said is reserved for "dynamic emergency situations" when students are immediately threatened.
At about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, a man drove up alongside a female student as she walked in Lot 1B near the Tawes Fine Arts Building, opened the passenger-side door of his car and asked the student to get in, said University Police Spokesman Paul Dillon.
When she kept walking, the man parked his car on Campus Drive, grabbed the student and again told her to get into his car. The student broke free and ran away, and the suspect drove away, Dillon said.
Dillon did not identify the victim but said she was not injured.
Police described the suspect as a black male between 40 and 50 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavyset and bald, wearing blue jeans and possibly driving a dark colored 2005 or 2006 Toyota Corolla.
Dillon said crime victims should try to report what happened as soon as possible.
"Whenever we have a crime on campus, the quicker we get notified, the more likely we are to have a successful investigation," he said.
Nonetheless, Dillon said police have some "promising leads" on identifying the suspect but would not elaborate.
holtdbk@gmail.com
Police distributed an e-mail crime alert for the incident, but Dillon said the victim reported it too slowly for the student body to benefit from a text alert, which he said is reserved for "dynamic emergency situations" when students are immediately threatened.
At about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, a man drove up alongside a female student as she walked in Lot 1B near the Tawes Fine Arts Building, opened the passenger-side door of his car and asked the student to get in, said University Police Spokesman Paul Dillon.
When she kept walking, the man parked his car on Campus Drive, grabbed the student and again told her to get into his car. The student broke free and ran away, and the suspect drove away, Dillon said.
Dillon did not identify the victim but said she was not injured.
Police described the suspect as a black male between 40 and 50 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavyset and bald, wearing blue jeans and possibly driving a dark colored 2005 or 2006 Toyota Corolla.
Dillon said crime victims should try to report what happened as soon as possible.
"Whenever we have a crime on campus, the quicker we get notified, the more likely we are to have a successful investigation," he said.
Nonetheless, Dillon said police have some "promising leads" on identifying the suspect but would not elaborate.
holtdbk@gmail.com
Submit a letter to the editor or post a comment below.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
big al
posted 8/21/08 @ 10:24 PM EST
What don't you get Brady? Text alerts are not for news items, they are intended to alert us of imminent danger (shooter on campus, carjacking, armed robbery, weather dangers). (Continued…)
Justin
posted 8/22/08 @ 5:36 AM EST
Why is it that people do not report crimes after they occur? This has been an issue for years at UMD and it simply doesn't make sense. What is the cause of the delay in reporting? Are they scared to report crimes? Are they drunk at the time and don't want to incriminate themselves? Are they making up the crimes to cover up the lose of their wallets during the previous nights drunk shenanigans? (Yes, I know this wasn't a robbery, but this same problem has occurred during the reporting of armed robberies). (Continued…)
Iggs
posted 8/22/08 @ 8:53 PM EST
Finally, Brady Holt does his job with a degree of competence.
He included the most important info, the suspect description, save only the lede.
Post a Comment