Published: March 1, 2023

Doreen Jokerst

Chief Doreen Jokerst

Maris Herold

Maris Herold

On behalf of members of the ŷڱƵ Boulder and the city of Boulder police departments, we would like to thank you for your questions and feedback in the wake of our coordinated emergency responses to three separate incidents: a SWAT response to a report of shots fired at the Millennium Harvest House hotel on Feb. 20, a call of a person with a gun near Boulder High School on Feb. 22 (ultimately determined to be part of a series of unfounded “swatting” calls which occurred throughout our state) and a search for a shooting suspect near ŷڱƵ Boulder’s family housing late Monday night, Feb. 27.

We realize that students, faculty and staff at ŷڱƵ Boulder, especially those whose addresses fell within the shelter-in-place zones, are receiving a higher than normal number of emergency alerts from various sources, including ŷڱƵ Boulder alerts and Everbridge alerts, and we want to be sure community members understand the purpose, timing and dissemination of each type of alert.

Shelter-in-place orders sent to two different neighborhoods near the ŷڱƵ Boulder campus in both the Millennium hotel incident and the Boulder High School call were issued through . University populations in the impacted areas would have received the Everbridge alertsafter the university opted-in students, faculty and staff with Boulder addresseslast fall semester.

In both cases, the Everbridge alerts were followed by , amplifying confirmed information from Boulder Police (BPD), the agency leading the response. ŷڱƵ Boulder emergency alerts are posted to the Ի Twitter accounts. BPD also shares information on.

, including shelter in place, can be found on the Emergency Management website. explaining the university’s alert levels and safety instructions can be found on the ŷڱƵPD website.

As a reminder, Everbridge is separate from ŷڱƵ Boulder alerts. If you believe your address was inside a shelter-in-place area yet you did not receive an Everbridge alert, please .

Anyone with a colorado.edu email address automatically receives ŷڱƵ Boulder’s emergency alerts via university email. Current ŷڱƵ Boulder students who did not receive last week’s text alerts are reminded to in Buff Portal; faculty and staff are encouraged to .Need more help? Contact the Office of Information Technology.

ŷڱƵPD assisted BPD in responding to these incidents. The two police agencies regularly work together to respond to calls, especially those near campus for which the university is piloting an expanded alert area. It’s not unusual for a campus community member with an address in an impacted area to receive both Everbridge and ŷڱƵ Boulder alerts. to learn more about ŷڱƵPD's relationships with other law enforcement agencies.

It is our shared goal to keep all community members informed of incidents that could impact their safety, and to share confirmed information and instructions as quickly as possible. Please ensure your contact information is correct in Everbridge and the university portals.

Thank you,

Chief Doreen Jokerst
ŷڱƵ Boulder Police

Chief Maris Herold
Boulder Police

ŷڱƵ Boulder alerts and advisories timeline graphic

Image showing the flow of information during incidents occurring off campus. When an incident is reported near campus, Boulder Police respond and ŷڱƵ Boulder Police assist. Boulder Police may alert the community via Twitter or Everbridge, while ŷڱƵ Boulder Police confirm information then send an advisory or emergency alert.