UK Alerts have been sent out with noticeable inconsistency the past few years at UK.

A woman was assaulted on East Maxwell Street after 3 a.m. on Friday, according to police.

No UK Alert or crime bulletin was issued.

The woman eventually fought the attacker off with a pocketknife after the assailant attempted to remove her clothes, Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said.

UK owns property on Maxwell Street not far from the floral shop where the assault took place.

UK Police Chief Joe Monroe said in an email to the Kernel that the location of the incident played a role in the decision not to issue a UK Alert or crime bulletin, and police want students to take the issued ones seriously and not become numb to an influx of them.

Although the woman was able to fight off her attacker, the severity of the crime makes it seem as if an alert or bulletin should have been issued.

UK students likely would not become numb to reports of attackers on Maxwell Street on Thursday nights when many of them are out in that area.

Some have complained about an excessive number of UK Alerts, but it seems those complaints are mostly in reference to the student who had a phone stolen from her hand on South Campus.

The bulletin issued for that crime said no weapons were implied and no injuries were suffered. However, that’s just one alert, and theft still is a serious crime.

Ultimately, students’ feelings toward UK Alerts and whether they are being desensitized to them should not be a determining factor in UK’s decision to issue them. Informing the public about such incidents should be important, no matter how each person chooses to take in that information.

Monroe also said in his email that since the incident was not on campus, nor on public property directly adjacent to campus, a crime bulletin was not issued.

However, UK did issue an alert of an armed robbery that occurred near Newtown Crossing earlier this year. In recent years, UK also sent out an alert following a shooting near the McDonald’s across from Holmes Hall.

These incidents were just as close to campus.

Monroe said in his email that UKPD uses the UK Alert and crime bulletins in accordance with the Clery Act.

UK police must put student safety as its No. 1 priority, and preventative measures are vital to that mission.

While UK was not required to issue a UK Alert or crime bulletin in this instance, students should have still been informed of the attack, and in a timely manner.