Not long ago, around midnight, six students at the University of Cincinnati were watching TV in an on-campus apartment when three men burst through the door. While one of the men held the group at gunpoint, the other two gathered laptops, cell phones, video games and cash, and then all three fled out the door.
The students, angry about the burglary, chased down and tackled the thieves. During the struggle, the gun discharged and a bullet grazed a student’s leg. The other students piled on top of the gunman and held him until police showed up.
Later, the injured student was treated and released and the suspect was jailed, charged with burglary, felonious assault and receiving stolen property. During questioning, it was found that the thieves gained access to the apartment because the building’s main doors hadn’t latched properly for days.
Safety on the college campus is an instinctive source of concern for parents, students and college employees. With each new sensationalized on-campus crime, the struggle for campus safety escalates. And for good reason: the shooting at Virginia Tech was the deadliest in U.S. history.
However, shooting incidents are not the only cause for concern. There are also hazing deaths from fraternal organizations, alcohol and drug related deaths, sexual crimes, robberies, racial harassment – the list goes on. The escalating violent encounters at colleges have prompted more awareness of campus safety and tactics used by campus police.
The Department of Education has a Web site on which you can enter the name of a school and see all of the crimes that institution reports annually to the government. Schools have been required for two decades to provide data on certain crimes under the Clery Law, named after a freshman who was raped and murdered at Lehigh University, which, it was discovered, hadn’t told students about 38 violent crimes on campus in the three years prior to her slaying.
To help students, faculty, and parents stay safe this semester, Marcia Peot, full-time police officer and Chief Safety Officer at StreetSafe, offers some the following campus safety reminders:
1. Let friends or roommates know where you’re going, who you’re with and when to expect you home.
2. Never leave outside doors propped open, and don’t let strangers into secured buildings or residence halls.
3. Never accept a ride from someone you don’t know, even if they are or claim to be a fellow student.
4. When approaching your car or residence, have your keys in your hand and check the area for suspicious individuals or activity.
5. When walking by yourself, keep your expensive belongings such as laptops and cell phones hidden. You will be less of a target.
6. When dressed for cold weather, make sure your vision and hearing are not obstructed by hats and scarves.
7. If you’re confronted by individuals forcibly demanding your possessions, give them up. Unless your life is in danger, do not attempt to fight offenders.
8. Do not walk or jog alone, especially at night.
9. The majority of thefts that occur in dorm rooms and apartments happen when the residents are not in but the door is unlocked. Lock the door to your room whenever you leave, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Also, lock your door when you’ll be showering or sleeping. If you live on the ground floor, lock your windows. If you discover your door or window doesn’t lock, leave a maintenance request to have it repaired.
10. Don’t leave exterior doors or inner lobby doors propped open when they should be closed. If you find one open, close it.
Your college years should be happy ones, and the only thing students should be worrying about is their grades. Campus police and security personnel are more aware of crime on campus and work diligently to deter any reason for concern. But the best defense is for the student to be aware of their surroundings and use their instincts.
Unfortunately, criminals sometimes do not target property, but target people instead. Make sure you take these steps to help prevent these types of crimes from happening to you.
StreetSafe is a new service that uses your smart phone’s GPS technology to instantly connect to help before a situation turns into an emergency. StreetSafe’s “Walk with Me” service offers a live connection to a professional Safety Advisor to keep you safe when walking in unfamiliar or threatening surroundings and instant access to 911 if needed.