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Crime Prevention
Through the office of crime prevention, University police officers provide educational programs to students and employees on personal safety, sexual assault/acquaintance rape prevention, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and other related topics. The University Police Department welcomes the chance to talk with any campus group. Candid dialogue between UA Police and the public has created greater confidence in the community to report unlawful activities. Potential illegal actions and on-campus emergencies can be confidentially reported by any student, staff member or faculty. Complaints received by UA police that fall outside their jurisdiction are referred to the appropriate agency, or the complainant will be provided with a phone number where a complaint may be filed. Likewise other agencies refer complaints to University Police when appropriate. If you would like to schedule an appointment for an educational program, call 330.972 5914 or if on campus dial ext. 5914. For emergencies, dial 911 from any campus phone. If you require non-emergency assistance, dial ext. 7123Emergency PhonesIn coordination with the department of tellecommunications, UAPD monitors over 200 emergency call telephones. Each telephone has a flashing blue light to attract attention, and a call button that immediately calls the dispatch center. Click here to learn more about emergency phones on campus.
Campus Patrol - Your Best Friends on Campus!When walking at night anywhere you should always use the buddy system. Research has shown that walking in groups will reduce the amount of criminal activity. If you do not have a buddy, the University of Akron Police Department has one for you. They are Campus Patrol.
The Campus Patrol program is comprised of students that are hired and trained by the Police Department. The Campus Patrol members are identified by their maroon shirts, khaki pants, and blue jackets when the weather is bad. The hours of operation for Campus Patrol are Monday - Friday 5pm to 12am. The campus patrol members will walk you anywhere on campus. They will not walk you to or from parties or bars. This service is free to all members of our campus.
Call 330-972-7263 for your free escort.
Be Safe at Night
Anytime you are out at night you should stay in well lit areas. When walking, avoid alley ways and streets that are not well lit. When driving your car, make sure that you park in a visible well lit area. Parking under the street lamps will reduce criminal activity. Use the buddy system or Campus Patrol as outlined above. Think before you go!
Don't Give a Thief the Opportunity!
The diagram to the right shows the "theft triangle". On one side we have “desire”. This represents a criminals desire to commit a crime. The other side is “skill”. This side represents the skill that the criminal has to commit the crime. Both of these sides are difficult to change. The bottom of the triangle is “opportunity”. This side represents the opportunity that we give the criminal to victimize us. We cannot take away desire and skill but we can take away opportunity. We take the opportunity away by taking responsibility of our own valuables and our own personal safety by following some of these suggestions:
Valuables
Do not leave valuables left unattendedTake book, laptops, and book bags with you at all times.Be alert and aware of your surroundingsIf you are studying at a cubicle, place your book bag between your legs and then place your leg through the handle. Mark/inventory all items of value.Personal SafetyBe alert and aware of your surroundings; know what is going on around you.Make quick eye contact with people as you walk by. A criminal will think you will be able to identify them if they know you looked at them.Defensive weaponsAlways remember, a defensive weapon carried by someone who is not trained and ready to use it, may be taken by the assailant and used against you. Pepper spray is alright to carry. You just have to make sure that you understand how to use it, and how to make sure it isn't used on you or accidentally blown back in your face by mother nature.The whistle defense program is a great tool to prevent crime.The whistle cannot be used against youMakes a loud noiseEasy to carry aroundVehicle SafetyWhen stopped at traffic lights and stop signs, make sure you leave space between you and the vehicle in front of you. By leaving this area, you have given yourself an escape route if anything should happen.When approaching your vehicle, have your door key or ignition key in hand. As you approach the vehicle start looking around and inside the car prior to getting in. If you have keyless entry do not press the unlock button until the vehicle is insight.Keep valuables out of sight. Place items of value in your trunk or hidden out of plain view. If a person does not see the valuables they do not know that it is there.Safety BrouchuresThe UAPD office of crime prevention has produced several crime prevention brouchures we feel are of interest to UA students. Please feel free to download and print out these brouchures and post them in a place where you can review them often! Please note: These brochures are high quality and may take time to download. You must have Adobe Acrobat to read these files. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader
Did you know that 90% of crime on campus is "opportunity crime"? This brochure is full of helpful hints and tips that will help you to keep from becoming the victim of preventable crime.
What do you do if you are the victim of a crime? Successfully prosecuting a criminal who has made you a victim depends upon your ability to remember details about the criminal. Review this brochure to make yourself a better witness!
No one can remember the serial number of all the items that they have, it's just not possible. When it comes time to make out a police report, will you know the serial number of all your valuable items? You will if you use this brochure to write them down! Be prepared!