Subject: Letter to the EIU Community

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Over the last week, multiple robberies have been reported by members of our campus community.  This is uncharacteristic of our community and of great concern to both the University and the City of Charleston.

The University Police Department (UPD) and Charleston Police Department (CPD) work together as a team to keep our community safe, with the UPD patrolling on campus and the CPD patrolling off campus.  Our departments are working very closely to solve this past week’s crimes.  The UPD patrols our campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Officers patrol on foot, on bicycles, and in cars.  Most officers are in uniform, but some are in plain clothes.  Last week, we increased the foot patrol of Eastern’s officers to increase the presence of officers in less traveled areas and to allow officers to see and hear more than they can in cars.  EIU also utilizes approximately 650 cameras for safety and security purposes.

When incidents occur that may pose a threat to the health or safety of our campus community, we share that information through email and/or text messages.  The information that is shared in those messages may be limited for a variety of reasons.  The amount of information shared with police is sometimes limited.  In some cases, victims don’t see the suspect or are unable to give a description of the suspect; in other cases, victims and witnesses may give conflicting descriptions of suspects.  At times, a description that is given by a victim or witnesses is so vague that it does not help to narrow the field of possible suspects.  The email and/or text messages are sent in an effort to heighten the awareness of members of the campus community and to remind individuals to exercise safety precautions.

The UPD has been asked if this past week’s incidents involved the use of weapons.  None of the robberies that occurred this past week have been classified as armed robberies.

The most recent incident, which occurred yesterday near the basketball courts at 4th Street and Roosevelt, was dispatched as a robbery but was reclassified as a theft.  It involved juveniles stealing the unattended property of individuals playing on the basketball courts.  Two individuals were apprehended. 

The suspects involved in one case might or might not be involved in multiple cases.  The UPD and the CPD continue to work diligently together to bring closure to each of these crimes.  We are confident that we will be able to restore the sense of calm and security that is familiar to our community.

At all times, please remember to exercise good judgment, take care of one another, and report any suspicious activity as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Adam Due
Chief, University Police Department