UNIVERSITY POLICE CAMPUS WATCH REPORT

Transcription

1 September 2008 UNIVERSITY POLICE CAMPUS WATCH REPORT Volume: 19, Issue 1 Newsletter Production Team Designs & Articles Written by Corporal Karen Tucker San Antonio Editor Lt. Adam Trevino Harlingen Chief Editor Capt. Celeste Mussey San Antonio Newsletter Published by UTHSCSA Police Department Robert K. Bratten Chief of Police Director of Public Safety MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF OF POLICE To all new students, faculty, and staff, as well as the returning members of the campus community, welcome to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Your University Police Department is a service oriented operation 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. It is comprised of noncommissioned personnel and duly sworn peace officers as authorized by Article of the Texas Education Code. This code states that the primary jurisdiction of our peace officers includes all counties in which property is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the University of Texas System. Commissioned peace officers are vested with all the powers, privileges, and immunities of peace officers, may arrest without a warrant any person who violates a law of the state and may enforce all traffic laws on streets and highways. In addition, we enforce the Regents Rules and Regulations and applicable Health Science Center policies and procedures. September 2008 and a police dispatcher will answer. If you have questions about your personal safety and security, please call our Crime Prevention officer at Should you have a compliment or complaint regarding the way a Police Department employee performs his or her duties, please contact me: Robert K. Bratten Chief of Police/Director of Public Safety National Campus Safety Awareness Month General Safety Tips Be Aware-Know where you are, where you re going and what is going on around you. This includes people, events and potential exit routes. Don t walk alone, especially after dark. Call for escort. Crime Prevention is a Shared Responsibility INSIDE THIS ISSUE: UT Police Services Procedures 3 HSC Alert 4 Prevent Thefts August Crimes 6 Worth Noting 6 What that means is that we are here to protect you, your property, and the property of the University. Our mission is to ensure a safe learning, teaching and working environment for all our students, faculty, and staff. If you should see or know of a criminal offense or traffic violation which occurs on University property, please report it to the University Police Department immediately. Our emergency number on campus is 911. Keep in mind that if you are calling from a cell phone it will go to the San Antonio Police Department. You must call on your cell phone to reach UT Police. For non-emergency calls, dial / on your cell In case of an emergency call 911 on HSC phones or have in your cell phone to call UT Police. Trust your feeling of fear and your instincts that things are not right. Avoid being in isolated places. Refuse to accept drinks from strangers, a drug could have been slipped in it. If someone needs help, go for help right away or call 911. Do not try to get involved if anyone has a weapon or if a fight is out of control.

2 PAGE 2 UNIVERSITY POLICE VOLUME: 19, ISSUE 1 UT POLICE SERVICES ENTRY CONTROL STATIONS officer who will assist you. Five entry control stations to the campus are operated by the University Police Department. The primary purpose of the stations is to provide assistance and information to faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors. The stations also serve as a crime prevention measure to prevent unauthorized traffic onto and through the campus. The locations and hours of operation are listed below. ENTRY CONTROL STATIONS (EXIT ANY TIME) LONG CAMPUS Floyd Curl: ECS#1 24 hours per day, 7 days a week Louis Pasteur: ECS #2 & #3 7:00 am to 7:00 pm each week day. Merton Minter: ECS #4 7:00 am to 7:00 pm each week day. GREEHEY CAMPUS Medical Drive: ECS #5 6:00 am to 6:00 pm each week day. CTRC CAMPUS Wurzbach Rd: ECS#6 Manned 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Floyd Curl: ECS#7 Manned 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Additionally, there are automated exit-only gates located between ECS #2 & #3 and at the south end of lot 11 and Campus Drive. A card reader gate is located on Service Drive, off Merton Minter at the University Hospital Cooling Towers. If you are unable to find appropriate parking, please contact the nearest officer for assistance. EMERGENCY INTERCOMS Emergency intercoms are strategically located in the parking lots on campus and automatically annunciate at the University Police Communication Center. The red boxes are mounted on light poles and are equipped with signs and blue lights for ease in locating. The intercom in lot 6 is located on a light green pole. The intercoms on Greehey Campus are blue and red poles. They are green at the Harlingen and Laredo campuses. Should an emergency or any situation requiring police services arise, go to the intercom, push the button down and release it and then follow the instructions on the call box. It will be answered by the police communications Campus elevators are also equipped with emergency intercoms. Open the compartment door located on the front panel, push the button and it will be answered by the police communication officer. There are also intercoms in the garage elevators. LATE HOUR ENTRY DOORS and CARD ACCESS SYSTEM The University Police Department is responsible for security of the Health Science Center buildings at all times. After normal business hours, on weekends, and on holidays all outside doors are locked to protect both personnel and property. The Card Access system provides security and an account of entries/exits into buildings and security sensitive areas. At all times, while on campus, especially when in a security sensitive area, personnel must display their access cards, picture side forward. No one is authorized to loan or borrow an access card. Personnel in a security sensitive area and not displaying an access card should be reported to the University Police Department. Also, be mindful of people trying to follow you through a door you opened. Certain doors have been identified as late hour entry and are equipped with cameras, intercoms, and our security card reader system. This means that if you do not have your ID card with you, you will not be able to get into the building. Per the letter from Dr. Cigarroa, dated , All Faculty, staff, and students must wear their UTHSC photo ID badges in a visible place, either on a pocket, a lapel or around the neck, at all times while on campus. If you experience a problem with your card, please go to the Parking Service Office during normal working hours to have your card checked for proper access. If it is after hours, contact UT Police to assist you. If you have proper clearance, we will open the door for you. PATROL-BYS If you are working or studying late, you can call and request an officer periodically conduct a security check of your surrounding area. SAFE WALK PROGRAM When walking on campus during evening hours, you are encouraged to walk with another person along well-

3 VOLUME: 19, ISSUE 1 UNIVERSITY POLICE PAGE 3 traveled routes. Our safe walk program is provided seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The program is provided as a service to the community and may be obtained by calling You may also use any intercom located throughout campus to request this service. An early notification to the police communication officer may be beneficial, as the district officer might be busy with another call. MOTORIST ASSISTANCE Motorist assistance is available on campus, free of charge, with such problems as keys locked in the vehicle, dead batteries, flat tires, or lack or gasoline. To obtain this service, call or use one of the emergency intercoms located throughout campus. Our officers will not change flat tires, but they can assist you. They also have air tanks to refill your tire if you feel safe driving it to a service station. If your car has to be jump started, drive for a minimum of 20 minutes before turning your engine off, in order to adequately recharge your battery. DEFENSIVE DRIVING Our department has certified defensive driving course instructors available to teach the course once a month. All personnel required to drive state owned vehicles must complete the defensive driving course. All faculty, staff and students may take the course on a voluntary basis. Persons completing the course may qualify for a 10% reduction on their auto insurance premiums. A normal fee is charged for the course. This course may not be used to remove a traffic citation from an individuals driving record. Call Ms. Mueller, for details. FINGERPRINTS If you need to be fingerprinted for any non-criminal reason, the University Police will take your prints for a charge of $10.00 per complete set of fingerprints, or $1.00 for a single finger. The person being fingerprinted must supply their own card. Child fingerprinting is free of charge through the Crime Prevention office at KEYS Keys are issued by the police department to authorized personnel only upon receipt of a key request signed by the appropriate department chair. Keys will be returned to the police department when the individual is no longer associated or has no further need. The loss or theft of a key must be immediately reported to the University Police. Contact the numbers below for non-emergency services at: San Antonio Harlingen Laredo Edinburg University 911 Procedures The words Emergency and the number 911 have become synonymous. Whether it is in our homes or at work we all know that 911 is our telephone link to emergency services. Here at UTHSCSA, all 911 calls dialed on a campus phone will be received in the Police Communications Center. Even if you dial to contact Metro 911, it rings in our Police Communications center. If it is a situation that needs emergency response from another agency, such as Emergency Medical Services, or the Fire Department, UT Police officers normally respond for crowd and traffic control and to lead the responding personnel to the emergency. In this situation, the Communications Center Operators will gather some necessary information from you, and notify Metro 911. They may transfer you direct to Metro 911 if it is more appropriate, such as an emergency at your off campus residence that you learn about while at work. If you are calling from a cell phone and want to speak to the University 911 Operators, dial and the call will ring on the University 911 line. Plan ahead and enter that number into your contacts or speed dial. If you have any questions or concerns, call or Lt Michael Bleier, Support Division Commander at or bleier@uthscsa.edu.

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5 VOLUME: 19, ISSUE 1 UNIVERSITY POLICE Prevent Thefts PAGE 5 What crime happens most on UTHSCSA property? THEFT! 95% of the time these thefts can be prevented. Know what is in your wallet. Recently a thief didn t steal a purse or a wallet, just 2 credit cards. Office Thefts Mark all personal property. You may borrow electric engravers from UT Police for a week free of charge. Lock your purses and wallets in a desk drawer or file cabinet or keep them with you. DO NOT put them under your desk. Keep your office keys with you. Do not set them down unattended. Lock your door! Even if you are just stepping down the hall. It takes 8 seconds for someone to walk into your office or lab and take what they want. Report thefts immediately to UT Police at or your UT Police substation s main number. Vehicle Burglaries Keep your doors locked and windows rolled up. Do not leave anything in plain sight. Keep anything of value with you or leave it at home. Park in lighted areas away from high weeds or brush that may conceal someone. Never leave a laptop in your car. Always keep them with you. Especially at restaurants around in town. Report suspicious persons or activity in the parking lots and buildings immediately to UT Police September 11, Deadliest day in law enforcement history NYFD firefighters and paramedics 23 NYPD police officers 37 Port Authority police officers 1,402 people in Tower people in Tower people at one company, Cantor Fitzgerald 1,762 New York residents 674 New Jersey residents 266 from 4 airliners Since March 2003 the US Military has lost approximately 4645 soldiers, marines, and sailors. And let s not forget the more than 350 search and rescue dogs that were used at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. There was a total of 2966 victims on 911.

6 SEPTEMBER Floyd Curl Drive San Antonio, Texas Upcoming Defensive Driving Dates Sept 17-18, 2008 (8:30-11:30 am) Nov 12-13, 2008 (8: am) As a reminder, this course CANNOT be used to clear traffic citations. Call Ms Mueller at for more details. CPHPBR has a virtual DD course at: August 2008 Crime Statistics Thefts 9 Criminal Trespass Warning 5 Assault 1 Hot Check 1 NEXT R.A.D. CLASS SCHEDULED for Fall (RAPE AGRESSION DEFENSE) October 13-15, :30 pm to 9:30 pm Only 10 students per class For more information please contact Cpl. Karen Tucker at or tuckerk@uthscsa.edu. WORTH NOTING CHILD SAFETY TIPS Make sure your children take the safest route to school. No short cuts through a field or alley. Know their route and have them walk with friends. Teach your children to never talk to strangers. If your child is approached by a stranger in a car they should stay away from it. Teach them to stay alert and walk confidently. Have your child keep in touch with you. (i.e...call when they get home) Have your children tell you or their teacher if something doesn t seem right or someone bothers them on the way to or from school. Make sure child knows a safe place to go in an emergency, such as a store or a trusted neighbor. You need to call the school if your child is going to be absent. Make sure the school knows how to contact you if your child does not show up. EASY WAYS TO AVOID GETTING A TICKET. Always display your permit. Park only in an area/space that is authorized by your permit. Make sure you park within the lines of the designated space. Don t back into or pull through a parking space. Head-in parking only! Make sure vehicle registration and state inspection are current. Do not speed-15 mph on campus and 5 mph in garages! If in a timed area, do not exceed the posted time allowed-30 minute parking areas are only 30 minutes. IF YOU FORGET YOUR PERMIT, stop at the gate as you come in and ask for a temporary permit. You are allowed 5 free permits per permit year, Sept- Aug. After 5, a $2.00 fee per temporary permit will be charged. You may also obtain these permits at the parking office.