Safety information and reminders from police Chief Matos

Dear JMU community,
(faculty, staff and students)

Welcome back to campus! I’m Anthony Matos and serve as the chief of police at James Madison University.

The goal of my message is to provide safety-related information that will serve as a helpful resource to you.

The JMU Police Department is dedicated to fostering a safe environment for the campus community and is comprised of 95 employees, 36 of those as sworn and fully certified law enforcement officers. It is also home to the JMU Public Safety Cadet Program. We partner with local agencies throughout the community as we also support areas off campus where students reside.

Keep the items below in mind as we start a new academic year:

• JMU Shield is our new mobile safety app that is available to download on all platforms. This will replace the DukeSafe (LiveSafe) app that was previously used. After downloading JMU Shield, users should enable push notifications and launch the app monthly, to prevent the app from going into hibernation. JMU Shield will be used to notify you of campus delays or closures due to weather, details on matters that require your situational awareness or in the event of an emergency. It is important for our entire community to have this downloaded on their mobile device. The app is free; no credit card is required.
• Students: Familiarize yourself with the updates to the Student Handbook. There are policy updates to masking, reserving campus spaces and general conduct.
• Faculty: Please be sure to review the current policies that are open for public review, pertaining to public expression on campus and bulletin board use/posting public notices. There is contact information on the policy review website if you have any questions about the policies.
• The City of Harrisonburg continues to make progress on the bridge replacement project on East Market Street, at the I-81 interchange. Please remember that speed cameras are in use and the speed limit in the construction zone is 25 miles per hour.
• If you see something suspicious or that makes you feel unsafe, it is important that you contact JMU Police immediately.

Helpful personal safety reminders:

• Know the emergency telephone numbers: 540-568-6911 or simply call 911.
• Familiarize yourself with the layout of the campus and learn the location of and how to use campus emergency telephones (Blue Lights).
• Travel in groups and avoid going out alone at night.
• Faculty, staff and students may use JMU Safety Escorts, especially at night. Safety Escort: 540-568-6913.
• In living spaces: always lock your doors and windows. Do not open your door unless you can identify the person seeking entry.
• Do not prop any exterior doors open to allow unescorted visitors into residence halls or otherwise locked spaces.
• Report any malfunctioning locks, doors, or windows to your residence life staff or building coordinator.

Please know we want to help foster a safe environment at JMU and will be available should you need us. Together we can make JMU a welcoming campus community. I wish you a safe and productive semester!

Sincerely,
Anthony Matos,
JMU chief of police