UMD
UMD Alerts — Emergency Notifications and Information
UMD Alerts is the University of Maryland's mass, urgent notification system, sent by text and email when a significant emergency or dangerous situation on or near campus poses an immediate threat to health or safety; the University of Maryland Police draw an explicit Clery line between these emergency notifications (text plus email) and the slower timely warnings (email) issued for crimes posing an ongoing risk.
Read the official policyInstitution
University of Maryland
Public R1 · MD
~41,725 studentsUMD Alerts
In the policy’s own words
What the policy says
Mass urgent notification systemverbatim
The UMD Alerts System is a mass, urgent notification system, comprising a variety of methods through which the University notifies students, faculty and staff of an active, major campus emergency.
- — Defines the system as a mass, urgent notification platform for active, major campus emergencies.
Emergency-notification triggerverbatim
In the event of a situation or incident on or near UMD which poses an imminent threat to the health or safety, text message(s) will be issued.
- — States the emergency-notification (UMD Alert) trigger as an imminent threat to health or safety, delivered by text.
Timely warning triggerverbatim
When there is important information about a crime or incident on or near UMD which poses an ongoing risk to the safety of the UMD community, an email will be issued.
- — Distinguishes the Clery timely warning (ongoing risk, email) from the imminent-threat emergency notification (text).
Speed over detailverbatim
With speed, the university will often have to sacrifice detail and, in some cases, may have to clarify details as more and better information becomes available. But overriding these concerns is the imperative to deliver alerts as soon as there's sufficient information to do so.
- — Articulates the timing philosophy — accuracy and detail are subordinate to delivering the alert as soon as there is sufficient information.
At a glance
How this policy works
- When it activates
- A UMD Alert is sent when there is a significant emergency or a dangerous situation occurring on or near campus that poses an immediate (imminent) threat to the health or safety of the campus community. The system is intended only for emergencies that pose an actual or potential threat to campus safety — to warn, not merely to inform.
- Who decides
- The University of Maryland (via the University of Maryland Police Department) determines when an alert is warranted and issues UMD Alerts; emergency notifications are sent for imminent threats and timely warnings/Safety Notices for crimes posing an ongoing risk.
- Timeliness standard
- UMD attempts to minimize the time between the report of a potentially dangerous situation and the issuance of an alert; with speed it will often have to sacrifice detail and may clarify details later, but the overriding imperative is to deliver alerts as soon as there is sufficient information to do so.
- Emergency notification vs. timely warning
- Explicit two-track Clery model: emergency notifications (text plus email) for situations posing an imminent threat to health or safety, versus timely warnings (email) and UMD Safety Notices for crimes/incidents posing an ongoing risk. Issuance is required under the Jeanne Clery Act.
- Testing cadence
- Tested on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:55 a.m., in conjunction with tests of the Alertus System and the Early Warning Sirens; test messages are clearly marked as only tests.
- Scope & limits
- Used only for emergency situations involving an imminent threat to public safety; UMD Alerts uses the SMS network of the recipient's cell phone, so carrier short codes must be enabled to receive text alerts. The exact number of messages is difficult to predict.
ChannelsSmsEmailWebsiteSirenDesktop Popup
Analysis
Reading the policy
UMD Alerts is the University of Maryland's branded mass-notification platform, described on the UMD Alerts FAQ as "a mass, urgent notification system" that the University uses to notify students, faculty and staff of an active, major campus emergency. The trigger is the Clery emergency-notification standard: a UMD Alert is sent "when there is a significant emergency or a dangerous situation that is occurring on or near campus that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community," and the purpose is "to alert you only to emergency situations in which there is an imminent threat to public safety."
The University of Maryland Police Department frames the program around the two-track Clery model. For imminent threats, emergency notifications go out by text message (and email): "In the event of a situation or incident on or near UMD which poses an imminent threat to the health or safety, text message(s) will be issued." For lower-urgency but ongoing risk, the University issues a timely warning by email: "When there is important information about a crime or incident on or near UMD which poses an ongoing risk to the safety of the UMD community, an email will be issued." UMPD also publishes UMD Safety Notices for crimes posing an ongoing risk. The department is explicit that the system is meant "not merely to inform but to warn," reserved for situations that pose an actual or potential threat to campus safety.
UMD's stated timing philosophy prioritizes speed over completeness: the University "attempts to minimize the time between the report of a potentially dangerous situation and the issuance of an alert," acknowledging that with speed it "will often have to sacrifice detail" and may clarify facts as better information becomes available, because "overriding these concerns is the imperative to deliver alerts as soon as there's sufficient information to do so." Alerts typically convey timing, location, incident type, and whether other police agencies are involved, and are often followed by updates throughout the emergency.
Delivery channels are text (SMS), email, and the public alert.umd.edu website (with an RSS feed); the system works alongside the campus Alertus desktop/beacon system and Early Warning Sirens. The platform is tested on a fixed cadence: "the first Wednesday of each month at 11:55 a.m., the campus tests the UMD Alert Emergency Notification System, Alertus System and Early Warning Sirens," with messages clearly marked as tests. All U.S. colleges receiving federal student aid are required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to issue emergency notifications and timely warnings about immediate or ongoing threats to safety, and UMD Alerts is the institution's primary emergency-notification mechanism under that mandate.
Takeaways
Key findings
UMD Alerts is a mass, urgent notification system reserved for significant emergencies/dangerous situations posing an immediate threat to health or safety.
UMD draws an explicit Clery distinction: text-plus-email emergency notifications for imminent threats, email timely warnings (and UMD Safety Notices) for crimes posing an ongoing risk.
The stated timing philosophy is speed over detail — minimize delay and deliver as soon as there is sufficient information, clarifying facts later.
Primary channels are SMS, email, and the alert.umd.edu website, working alongside the Alertus desktop/beacon system and Early Warning Sirens.
The system is tested the first Wednesday of each month at 11:55 a.m. alongside the Alertus System and Early Warning Sirens.
Policy, meet practice
When this system actually fired
17 documented times UMD’s alert system was used, from the case archive.
+ 9 more in the case archive.
Provenance
Sources
- Official
- Official
- Official
- Clery ASR
- Official
Tags
policyemergency-notificationtimely-warningumd-alertsuniversity-of-marylandclerymass-notification
Added 2026-06-21Updated 2026-06-21Via ingestion