A suspicious male was arrested by the Long Branch Police Department for trespassing at several off-campus houses occupied by female Monmouth students, according to a Jan. 14 email from Dean Volpe, Captain of Police on behalf of the Monmouth University Police Department (MUPD). The subject, a 40-year-old Hispanic male, was also seen peering into the windows of these residents. There is no threat to campus nor indication that the suspicious male has been on campus, Volpe wrote in the Hawk Safety Alert.
The Hawk Safety Alert, also known as the Timely Warning Policy, is part of the University’s Guide to a Safe Campus. The issuance of such alerts are in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), which discloses that, “Hawk Safety Alert shall be issued in a manner that is timely and will aid in the prevention of similar crimes/incidents when such crimes/incidents occur on the Monmouth University campus or in close proximity to the campus, or when the crime represents a series or continuing threats to students, employees, and members of the University community.
“Since these incidents involved Monmouth University students, we wanted to alert the community at large,” Captain Volpe told The Outlook. In order to facilitate this degree of transparency among community members, Volpe advised in his email that, “any suspicious activity on campus should diately be reported to the Monmouth University Police Department.” This allows the MUPD to properly investigate situations that may warrant a community-wide alert.
“As someone who lives off-campus, it makes me nervous as the apartments are so open to the public, but I appreciate the school notifying us and providing solutions,” said Elisa Ramos, a junior biology student.
Tara Peters, Associate Vice President of University Marketing and Communications, said, “Hawk Safety Alerts are a key part of the comprehensive effort to keep our campus community safe and secure…These alerts are good reminders of our shared responsibility to look out for one another by sharing information and reporting suspicious activity.”
In addition to the Hawk Safety Alert, Volpe mentioned other preventative measures the University employs to foster a protected learning and living environment. “We host educational and awareness programs concerning crime prevention, safety, and campus security procedures and practices,” he said. “Also, the University Police Department offers a free escort service 24 hours a day to all members of the University community, available on the main campus, Graduate Center, as well as the University Bluffs.”
The aforementioned policies are all detailed in the University’s Guide to a Safe Campus. “I encourage all students and University members to review our guidelines so as to keep our community safe,” Volpe concluded.
