After Van Dyke trial, Northwestern monitors community safety

The following message was sent to the Northwestern community by Bruce Lewis, Chief of Police and Associate Vice President.

Following the guilty verdict in the Jason Van Dyke case, Northwestern is monitoring any impact it may have on the Chicago area. Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our community — students, faculty and staff.

Given concerns about security raised on the Chicago and Evanston campuses prior to today’s verdict, I want to assure you that while there have been peaceful protests near City Hall and in other areas of Chicago today, no disruption to Northwestern’s normal operations has occurred on either campus. As a precaution, we have added extra personnel on our campuses to help maintain the safety of the community.

I would like to remind students, faculty and staff of the following:

• Be mindful of your surroundings, and do not put yourself in harm’s way.
• If you travel to and from the city and the Chicago campus, be patient and careful. Traffic may be disrupted or slowed. Plan for extra travel time when necessary.
• The Chicago Marathon and associated street closures will occur Sunday.

The University always supports free expression, and we value your personal safety above all else. If you see something, say something. If you are on campus, in Chicago or Evanston, in case of emergency, call University Police:

Chicago Campus
Phone: 312-503-3456
TDD: 312-503-3999 

Evanston Campus
Phone: 847-491-3456
TDD: 847-467-7883 

Or dial 456 from any campus phone 

At this time, Northwestern is planning normal shuttle operations. Any updates will be announced on TransLoc, through our Twitter account @NU_Shuttles, and our announcement webpage.

Again, your safety is very important to us. The University is closely monitoring the situation and has made necessary preparations. We will communicate further information as necessary.