University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Public Safety Launches Campaign to Educate
Campus on What to Do in an Emergency

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Nov. 15, 2007) — As part of an ongoing effort to educate the Cal State Northridge community on how to contact university police during an emergency, university police officers will be visiting campus departments this month to remind personnel of the procedures.

The effort, part of the Department of Public Safety’s biannual 9-1-1 Information Campaign, promotes both the universally known emergency number, 911, and the campus’ direct phone number for police dispatch, (818) 677-2111, which can also be used to report an emergency. Campus police officers are distributing posters and phone stickers to staff and faculty to remind people of the importance of those two numbers.

"The emergency 9-1-1 number is one of the most important numbers an individual should memorize. This campaign is to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of the number on campus and how to report an emergency," said CSUN Police Chief Anne P. Glavin, director of public safety.

The campaign will also serve as a reminder that the campus’ emergency blue light phones, elevator phones and TTY-enabled call boxes can be used to contact university police during an emergency.

University police dispatchers, who handled more than 15,111 incidents in 2006, provide a crucial link in the receipt of community requests for public safety services, answering concerns, questions and comments from the campus community as well as dispatching police officers to a variety of emergency and non-emergency calls for service.

CSUN police dispatcher tasks include handling the department’s 24-hour business lines, 911 emergency lines, emergency blue light and elevator call boxes, campus burglar and fire alarm systems, and the department’s computer-aided dispatch and radio systems. In 2006, dispatchers also managed 393 "911 emergency" calls, 252 blue light emergency callbox activations, and 121 medical assist telephonic requests.