2008 Woodie Awards
Carjacking shocks campus security
Issue date: 3/13/08
A carjacking last Thursday, which spread onto the Homewood campus, led to miscommunication and the unnecessary lockdown of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library.
While security felt they had the incident under control, a contracted security guard who misheard the incident over the radio locked down the library without authorization. Security officials did not know that the lockdown had occurred until an hour and a half later.
"At no point was anyone in danger on our campus," Hopkins Security Lieutenant of Investigations Steven Ossmus said.
Early Thursday morning, Hopkins security dispatchers were contacted by the Baltimore police. Officers in pursuit of a car for traffic violations requested assistance after the vehicle began heading toward Homewood.
When security used their radio system to relay information, custodial staff using the same system misheard what was said, according to Ossmus.
"Custodial staff took it upon themselves to act," he said. Custodians relayed their misinterpreted version of the incident to each other; the message was then overheard by a security guard at the MSE Library.
"There was a miscommunication by the [library's] contract guard about the pursuit of individuals and guns," Ossmus said.
Contract guards are not part of Allied Barton, the company that provides University security, but are hired individually and are not affiliated with Hopkins security.
Hopkins security decided not to send out an emergency text to students because they felt the situation was secure.
"I feel like [security] did students a disservice by not making use of their emergency text messaging system," freshman Justin Shen said.
According to security, the text system would only be used if there were an imminent threat to people on campus and this event did not meet those standards.
Many students were oblivious to the carjacking. "I wasn't even aware that a lockdown occurred," student Eddie Holzinger said.
While security felt they had the incident under control, a contracted security guard who misheard the incident over the radio locked down the library without authorization. Security officials did not know that the lockdown had occurred until an hour and a half later.
"At no point was anyone in danger on our campus," Hopkins Security Lieutenant of Investigations Steven Ossmus said.
Early Thursday morning, Hopkins security dispatchers were contacted by the Baltimore police. Officers in pursuit of a car for traffic violations requested assistance after the vehicle began heading toward Homewood.
When security used their radio system to relay information, custodial staff using the same system misheard what was said, according to Ossmus.
"Custodial staff took it upon themselves to act," he said. Custodians relayed their misinterpreted version of the incident to each other; the message was then overheard by a security guard at the MSE Library.
"There was a miscommunication by the [library's] contract guard about the pursuit of individuals and guns," Ossmus said.
Contract guards are not part of Allied Barton, the company that provides University security, but are hired individually and are not affiliated with Hopkins security.
Hopkins security decided not to send out an emergency text to students because they felt the situation was secure.
"I feel like [security] did students a disservice by not making use of their emergency text messaging system," freshman Justin Shen said.
According to security, the text system would only be used if there were an imminent threat to people on campus and this event did not meet those standards.
Many students were oblivious to the carjacking. "I wasn't even aware that a lockdown occurred," student Eddie Holzinger said.
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