RUPD offers summer safety tips

Do not leave valuables in plain view in your car.

That’s one of the summer safety tips recommended by the Rice University Police Department in a recent campuswide email sent to remind faculty, students and staff to remain vigilant about personal safety and security and to take steps to prevent becoming a target of crime.

Below are additional recommendations from RUPD.

• Don’t leave your laptop, backpack, purse and other valuables unattended in an office, classroom, at the library, in the locker room, in the dining hall or at a sporting event, lecture or other campus activity.
• For guests staying in the residential colleges, be sure to lock dorm room doors and report any suspicious people in and around the colleges.
• Remember the slogan: “Give a hoot. Secure your loot.”
• Have your car keys ready to unlock your car door so that you don’t become a victim while fumbling through your purse or backpack.
• Be aware of your surroundings and alert to any signs that something may be wrong or out of place. Pay attention to your instincts.
• Avoid distractions that decrease your awareness level, such as talking on a cellphone or wearing headphones.
• Travel with family and friends. Walking in a group decreases your chances of becoming a victim.
• Ask for a police escort if you have to travel alone at night across campus or to the Rice Village Apartments or the Rice Graduate Apartments by calling 713-348-6000.
• Report any suspicious activity or emergencies on or near Rice property immediately to RUPD at 713-348-6000. If you’re off campus, call 911.
• Program RUPD’s number into your cellphone for quick access.
• Use the emergency blue light phones located around campus that ring directly to RUPD to get help during an emergency, to request a police escort or to report suspicious activity.
• If you are attacked, don’t fight back. Cooperate with the assailant and then contact the police as soon as it is safe to do so. Defend yourself only as a last resort if you are being physically assaulted.
• Park in highly visible areas and check for lighting in case you’ll be leaving when it is dark.
• Keep your bike locked up, and register it with RUPD.

“Our purpose is to help you achieve your research, teaching and learning goals in a safe and orderly environment,” said Johnny Whitehead, Rice chief of police. “We believe these strategies will assist you on and off campus.”

For additional information on safety and Rice’s crime stats, read RUPD’s Annual Security Report at www.rice.edu/safety/Safety-Bulletin-2015.pdf.

For more information about area neighborhoods, visit the Houston Police Department’s website at www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/cs10h80.htm.