Follow-up to June PLU Alerts

June 23, 2021

Dear Campus Community,

We write to follow up on the recent spate of incidents in or near the Library Parking Lot and Garfield Street, involving shots fired. Basic information about these incidents and the relevant Campus Notification Alerts that were sent can be found on the PLU Alerts page of the Campus Safety website.

We’d like to state that any single incident such as these is very serious, and acknowledge that three such incidents in the span of three weeks is both highly unusual and cause for deep concern. We can report that these have not been random acts of violence, nor have university community members been involved in any way. We have come to understand that there is likely a single source of these incidents, and have reengaged the establishment’s business owner, landlord, and others to develop effective responses and solutions together.

Campus Safety and the university have been evaluating the situation and taking a variety of immediate and long-term steps to address this significant safety concern for PLU and the Parkland community. We are involving law enforcement entities and community partners, in addition to those connected with the establishment that appears to be the source of the concerns.

Responding to safety concerns is a process that requires engagement with community members, and sustainable solutions require similar ongoing engagement. Our approach to safety will continue to be multi-fold, involving partners both in our Parkland neighborhood and beyond. That said, this concern is and will be prioritized at the highest levels as foundational to our shared well-being.

Please check the PLU Alerts page for subsequent updates, or reach out to any of us directly to ask questions, discuss solutions, or hear more about how these concerns are being addressed.

Sincerely,

Tara Simmelink
Director of Campus Safety

Tom Huelsbeck
Associate Vice President for Campus Life

Joanna Royce-Davis
Vice President for Student Life