News

WiscAlerts not used after Langdon attack

After encouraging students to sign up for WiscAlerts in light of recent downtown crime, the University of Wisconsin did not send out a text last night when a UW junior was held up at gunpoint outside her Langdon Street sorority house.

Lt. Michael Newton of UW Police said WiscAlerts are only issued in cases such as a shooter on campus or a bomb threat.

“WiscAlerts are reserved for major emergencies that affect a large portion of the campus where we’d need to ask the campus to take some sort of immediate action,” Newton said.

UWPD did not send out a WiscAlert after the mugging that occurred around 11 p.m., and several students said they were surprised no text was sent.

“How is that not a campus emergency?” UW junior Chris Bailey said. “I know a lot of people who live in that area that could’ve still been out at the library or something and would definitely have been interested in knowing that a guy with a gun was in their parking lot.”

The presidents of all Greek houses were sent an e-mail around 11:30 p.m. Monday, and most Greek members were forwarded the e-mail.

According to the police report, the victim was approached by two males while walking in a parking lot near her residence. She was then held at gunpoint and forced to give up money and her laptop.

The perpetrators were described as black males dressed in black hooded sweatshirts and dark pants. One was described as 5-foot-10 and large build in his early- to mid-20s, and the other as 5-foot-6, average build and around 19 years old.

Madison Police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said police are looking into similarities between this and previous crimes, though no definitive link has been found.

“This is not something we will tolerate in the city,” DeSpain said. “We need the support from students and others to be our eyes and ears and provide us with information so we can resolve this string of robberies downtown.”

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.