Campus Safety

If a resident student has not been seen on campus for more than 24 hours and acquaintances do not know where the student may be, please immediately notify Department of Public Safety at (808) 956-6911. Students under the age of 18 will have their parents notified if they are determined missing for more than 24 hours and law enforcement may be notified for any student missing for more than 24 hours. If a resident over 18 years of age is deemed to be missing, the University will, at its discretion, contact the Confidential Contact and/or the Emergency Contact on file. If a student has been seen in the company of an individual(s) indicating that they may be in danger, Department of Public Safety and/or the Honolulu Police Department (call 911), should be notified immediately.

It is strongly recommended that any resident let their roommate, neighbor, or RA know if they are going on a trip, hiking, to the beach, etc. Having a friend know when to expect their roommate or friend back and having them look for that person immediately if they are not back can be lifesaving.

UHM DPS will conduct an investigation to determine if the student is missing. The university will notify the following individuals within 24 hours of determining that the student is missing: If a student is under the age of 18 and is not emancipated, their parent or guardian will be notified; if the student has registered a Confidential Contact and/or Emergency Contact person with the university, the contact(s) will be notified; and if the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) was not involved in the initial campus investigation, UHM DPS will notify HPD or the appropriate law enforcement agency, depending on the jurisdiction. If a student has been seen in the company of individual(s) indicating that they may be in danger, UHM DPS and/or the Honolulu Police Department, will be notified immediately. The University of Hawai‘i also may choose to contact the student’s parent/guardian in the event that a student is deemed to be missing.

The investigation will be conducted by UHM DPS as follows:

• The person receiving the complaint will immediately dispatch a UHM DPS officer to location of the complaint.
• The responding officer will gather all essential information about the person (description, clothes last worn, where the subject might be, who they might be with, vehicle description, etc.) An up-to-date photograph may also be obtained to aid in the search.
• The responding officer will also gather information about the physical and mental well-being of the individual.
• Appropriate campus staff will be notified to aid in the search for the individual.
• A quick, but thorough search will be conducted in all campus buildings and parking lots.
• Class schedules will be obtained and a search will be conducted If the above actions are unsuccessful in locating the person or it is apparent from the beginning that the person is actually missing, (i.e. call from parents, guardians) the investigation will be turned over to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. At that time, they become the authority in charge and UHM DPS will assist them in any way necessary.

The Vice Chancellor for Students will be responsible for communicating with the family or relatives of the missing person.

Confidential Contact Information:  Students residing in on-campus housing have the option to identify confidentially an individual to be contacted by UHM in the event that the resident is determined to be missing for more than 24 hours. A resident who wishes to identify a confidential contact can do so via this website: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FWYFLPH.
The confidential contact information will be accessed only by authorized UHM officials and law enforcement in the course of an investigation. If a resident does not identify a confidential contact, the individual’s emergency contact will be informed in the event that the resident is determined to be missing for more than 24 hours.