In response to an active shooter event March 9 at Heartland Apartments, 1325 Merchant, Emporia State issued an emergency alert to students and faculty 50 minutes after the threat began.

All universities that receive federal funding, like ESU, are required by the Clery Act to issue timely warnings of threats on or near campus to students and employees.

“In compliance with the Clery Act, Emporia State University provides immediate notification to the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation on campus that involves the immediate threat to the health or safety of students, faculty, staff and guests,” according to ESU’s 2016 Security and Fire Safety Report.

The decision to issue an emergency alert is a joint effort made by ESU Police and Safety and the members of the Emergency Notification Team, according to ESU’s annual safety report.

Some situations may call for consultation with the vice president of the affected area and university general counsel as well, though no specific process is detailed in the online report.

“The information Emporia State University shares on its website follows the best practices of emergency planning and response,” according to Gwen Larson, interim director for marketing and media relations.

Other Kansas universities have detailed procedures shown online for issuing an emergency alert. Kansas State University (KSU) shows in their 2016 Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety report their four-step process for issuing an alert for an immediate threat.

After an emergency is reported to the KSU police department, the department must confirm that the situation threatens campus security, according to KSU’s annual safety report. Then the KSU police department command decides whether or not the alert will hinder the efforts of law enforcement officials and, if not, authorizes the emergency notification.

Similarly, the University of Kansas’ (KU) 2016 Security and Fire Safety Report states, “The issuance of a Timely Warning is decided on a case-by-case basis by Chief of Police, who is also the Director of the KU Office of Public Safety, or his designee in light of all the facts surrounding an incident.”

“In order to comply with federal law, detailed processes that are followed to the letter are essential,” said Maxwell Kautsch, attorney at law.