Police chief: Use Alertus for emergency communications

Posted Aug 28 2023
An Alertus Technologies mechanism with the words Alert Beacon and Alertus Technologies
Graphic showing the Central State University Police Department logo and the words Office of the Chief

Campus Community,

In the past 24 hours, two universities across the country have been the target of an active threat: Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

The motivation behind the threat to Edward Waters University (EWU) was due to the university being an HBCU. EWU students reported suspicious actions they observed the shooter doing while parked in a parking lot on campus to an EWU officer. The officer approached the vehicle, and the driver drove away recklessly. The officer relayed information about the suspicious person to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office as the suspect drove off campus. Undoubtedly, the proactive actions taken by the EWU students and the officer stopped a mass casualty shooting on their campus.

While this event strikes fear in the heart of our community, we will not let hate win. The Central State University Police Department is prepared and ready to protect our community; however, we need your help. Please call 937-376-5111 or 911 to report suspicious activities, persons, or objects on campus. Making a report may save your life or the lives of others in our community. 

Central State has implemented an emergency alert system called Alertus that can be downloaded on your phone. Alertus is used to communicate to the campus during emergencies. We encourage all of you to sign up for Alertus by following the directions below. 

Remember, "See something, say something." 

Stay vigilant and safe!

Stephanie Hill
Chief of Police

How to sign up for emergency alerts

  1. Visit https://www.centralstate.edu/info/marauder-information-technology#chapter=chapter-5086-Technology-support to access ALERTUS or download the Alertus+ Mobile app from your device's app store
  2. Enter your organization code: CSU
  3. Enter your email address. IMPORTANT: Allow push notification and location services
  4. Navigate to Subscriptions    
  5. Choose your group   
  6. Navigate to profile
  7. Create profile including your full name, phone number, birthday, and CSU ID number