Texting in an emergency could be next step

Students texting to report a crime in progress would not be the preferred method at Central Michigan University to CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley.

But he would support the service — he said any message that can be used to give information about, stop or prevent a crime should be used.

“By all means, text if you can,” Yeagley said.

The University Of Michigan’s Department Of Public Safety recently implemented a texting service for students to report crime.

U-M Coordinator of Residential Security Ben Witt said he prefers calling to report a crime, but texting is an intriguing approach.

“We got to keep an eye on what students are using today,” he said. “Our students are tech-savvy, much more than us and, if this is a way we could get them to report crime, it’s a better option than not reporting it.”

Call before text

A phone call works best to report a crime, Yeagley said. The discussion between the dispatcher and caller effectively gives information that helps respond to a crime in progress, he said.

“The dispatcher can ask clear questions the caller or victim of a crime may not think about when reporting the incident,” Yeagley said. “You may not get that interaction in a text.”

Mount Pleasant senior and Student Government Association President Jason Nichol said he supports any technology venue that would help increase the security and safety of students, but would need to research the topic more. He thinks calling is faster.

“Why not just call?” he said. “I think text messaging is a means of communication preferred by our generation, but I could report a crime quickly and efficiently by a phone call.”

Other angles

Coordinator of Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates Steve Thompson thinks there would need to be a clear policy on what crimes should be
texted in to protect victims of sexual aggression.

Diane Brown, public information officer for U-M’s DPS, said although students can text a crime, the phone call is still preferred.

“We offer this alternative if a student is unable to call,” she said.

Brown is not aware of any other universities using texting in crime prevention and reporting.

It took a number of months to research the process. The university settled on the company 2sms, which specializes in a short message service for businesses and government entities, she said.

“There were no models used,” Brown said. “We did know that there were some sporting venues that used this product.”