EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDE

YORK UNIVERSITY SECURITY SERVICES:

416-736-5333 or Ext. 33333 (On campus)

 911

In a life threatening emergency call 911 then call York University Security Services. See HERE for other numbers to call in an emergency.

 A Distressed person is one whose behaviour is indicative of being in emotional distress although they may also be exhibiting concerning and challenging physical behaviours.

 Harassment involves conduct that causes fear for personal safety or the safety of those known to you.  Harassment is often associated with behaviours including (non-exhaustive):  uttering threats, causing damage or restricting access to personal property, persistent following, intimidation, ‘stalking’ and ‘cyber bullying’.  Whether occurrences are experienced in-person, over the telephone, via letter or virtually (e.g. online social media platforms or through text messaging) all such acts are criminal offenses.  Swift reporting by you will facilitate a thorough investigation by York Security Services and/or Toronto Police.

Consultation with experts from the Department of Community Safety and participating in campus training or workshops can further empower you to respond to such challenging encounters.  (Please see www.yorku.ca/community safety for further information.)

When a person becomes verbally abusive, threatens or haryasses you:

•  Tell the individual that their behaviour is unacceptable and that it must stop immediately.
• If the negative interaction continues or at any point in an encounter where you feel you or others involved are at imminent risk, withdraw from the interaction, implementing an ACTion Plan©:

An ACTion Plan© approach:

•  Put Distance (physically, mentally/emotionally) between yourself and the aggressor.

Do not crowd the aggressor, prevent them from leaving or re-engage in any kind of conversation. Ensure others respect the volatility of the space/person as well. 

• Make Observations about the person and interaction. Be prepared to share what you know about this person including their identity, physical description and if known, their perceived ‘reasons’ for escalating or engaging you.  Save any related documentation, postings, texts, screen shots or recordings for review by police.
• Report the interaction immediately to 911/York Security (extension 33333 or 416-736-5333.) If you are unable to make this call, get someone else to call for you, deploy a “code” word or use a panic alarm to report the incident.

If the person leaves before safety services arrive, it is still important to report and document the interaction fully.  Doing this also allows appropriate referral partners to provide continuity of care.