CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The UNC Charlotte alert system, NinerAlert, is being credited for working as it should in an emergency situation.
Around 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, the UNC Charlotte community began receiving alerts on multiple platforms.
The first text message students received said in part, “Shots reported near Kennedy. Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately.”
According to UNC Charlotte emergency management, the University issues a NinerAlert when there is a threat to campus safety or operations.
NinerAlerts are sent using a variety of methods, depending on the nature of the threat. These alerts can be sent out via email, text message, digital screen take-over, the LiveSafe App, social media, and/or alert sirens.
UNC Charlotte Police Chief Jeff Baker said in a press conference Wednesday that UNC Charlotte has invested heavily into the safety and security of its community, which was shown in the alerts that went out Tuesday.
“All of this is done in minutes, which is obviously critical on a situation and on a response because you’ve got to make sure that type of thing is done,” Baker said.
Jeff Yokley and Brandon Wright, both juniors at UNC Charlotte, said they were at their off-campus apartment yesterday when they started receiving the alerts.
“It was like hide, run, fight type of message, and it was like, you know, it was serious,” Wright said. “We didn’t realize it could happen here, but it did.”
The students said they felt well-informed about what was happening on campus and were pleased with the university’s response to the situation.
"First responders, officials, all the alert system,” Yokley said, “I mean, I really think the university handled it as well as you could."
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