UMBC Police Chief Apologizes for Library Arson Alert Lapse

UMBC Police Chief Mark W. Sparks issued an e-mail to the campus community Monday afternoon to explain the events at the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery last Friday evening - when books were set on fire at multiple locations in the library - and why his office didn't send out an emergency notification by e-mail or text.

"This was a judgment call by the Police Department that this situation did not pose an imminent threat to the campus community," Sparks' e-mail read. "While this did not rise to the imminent threat level necessitating a text alert, in retrospect, a crime alert would have been appropriate, following a stricter policy on erring on the side of caution."

At around 4:15 p.m. Friday, a student discovered a book burning on the library's 5th floor. The student put the book out in a drinking fountain and alerted library staff, who pulled the fire alarm and discovered more books burning on the 3rd floor. Attempts to burn books was also found on the 4th and 6th floor.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, and damage was limited to the books that had been burned.

The state Fire Marshal is investgating the case. Details about the number of books damaged and suspects in the arson are not yet available.

UMBC Police maintains two types of alert systems to inform the 11,000 students, faculty and staff on the campus of emergency notifications; an e-mail "crime alert," and a text-based system for emergencies that require immediate action.

The high-priority text alerts are reserved for situations "where we really want the community to take ation in order to protect themselves," explains Paul Dillion, deputy chief of police. Examples of a text alert would if there were a gunman on campus or a tornado headed for the area.

The text alerts are an opt-in system, and do not reach every person on campus, he says.

In the case of Friday's library arson, the library was evacuated after the fire alarm was pulled, and the scheduled closing time was 6 p.m. anyway.

"The situation was contained within minutes, and there was no danger to the community," Dillon says. "We didn't send a text alert because there's no need to tell people not to go to a closed library."

Dillon conceded that the crime alert, sent by e-mail Monday afternoon, could have been released sooner.

Students on campus supported Sparks' decision not to issue a text alert.

"I agree with the decision to not send out a crime alert," says Yasmin Karimian, a senior political science student who is president of the Student Government Association. "There is such a hard balance the police need to strike between alerting the campus when it is necessary, but not scaring the campus or even annoying them with alerts that are not necessary."

"A small book fire doesn't require a campus wide alert," says Chris Tingley, president of the university's Emergency Health Services Council, a student group. "An alert notifying the campus that a 'fire was occuring in the library' would draw crowds of people that could endanger them and prevent emergency crews from doing their job. I think not sending an alert was the right thing."