A series of emergency text messages and voicemails interrupted Biola students’ lunchtime today when around 12:25 p.m. Campus Safety sent out a notification of a suspect search just west of campus.

“We actually found out that the sheriffs were looking for two burglary suspects over the radio,” said Justin Shelby, public information officer for Campus Safety. Shelby noted that Campus Safety frequently monitors the police band to keep apprised of situations that may affect campus.

“Because it was near to the off-campus apartments, we sent the text message out as a precaution,” he said.

Police search for burglary suspects

The two suspects were described as black males in black clothing, and the notification encouraged students in the apartments to exercise caution and report any helpful information to the Campus Safety hotline. Students were also advised not to travel westbound on Rosecrans Ave.

About 25 minutes later, students received the update that the suspects were in custody and the situation was all clear.

The sheriffs department concentrated their search on an area southeast of the intersection of Rosecrans and Valley View Ave. Shelby said the police set up roadblocks and checkpoints and were obviously taking the situation seriously.

Biola’s emergency notification system effective

Campus Safety’s goal, according to Shelby, was to get the information out as quickly as possible so Biola students could take appropriate precautions. Biola uses the Everbridge emergency notification system specifically for these types of situations. Students can opt in to the voluntary program when they complete the WebReg process, or can log into my.Biola anytime and update their emergency contact information on their student profile.

Shelby acknowledged that they are unable to say definitively how many students are signed up for the system, especially since students often mistakenly put in their parents’ contact information instead of their own. But even so, Shelby said they have a pretty good response rate.

“It’s definitely been effective,” Shelby said of the system.