Public Safety Taskforce Report
Dear UW-Whitewater community,
Over the past few months, the Public Safety Taskforce has engaged in work with the goal of keeping UW-Whitewater a safe community to learn, live, work and play, and to identify areas of improvement as well as solutions.
The taskforce — which was formed in January 2024 and included representation across the university, including faculty, staff and students — has completed its work and composed a report with a series of recommendations to move UW-Whitewater forward in enhancing public safety.
These recommendations include:
- Examine, refine and update the university’s training programs to consider direct involvement of faculty, staff and student employees as trainers on safety topics/situations.
- Review and redevelop the “building manager program” with a focus on leveraging currently available technologies to improve operations and two-way communication.
- Strengthen messaging to our resident student population to increase a sense of “home ownership” within our halls.
- Implement an educational and informational campaign outlining current GPS/911 capabilities, and remove the blue light call boxes, an antiquated technology.
- Update the emergency alert process to consider highly emotional/triggering events and how to message those to the community.
- Review the emergency message system for upgrading or replacement.
We concur with the recommendations of the report and would like to thank the group for its work, expertise, and sense of urgency.
Colleagues are engaging in the actions proposed in the report. Some tasks have been completed or are already in progress.
While the taskforce charge has concluded with this report, the work in this space will continue through the university-wide Campus Safety Committee.
Corey King Chief Matt Kiederlen
Chancellor UW-Whitewater Police