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Campus Police

Crime Prevention

Scroll down for:

  • Personal Safety
  • On the Grounds
  • Office Crime Prevention
  • Fire Safety on Campus
  • Women’s Crime Prevention (including information on rape prevention)

Crime Prevention is everyone’s job on campus. Counting yours, there are about 16,000 eyes on our campus. Only a limited number are assigned to SUNO Campus Police. If you see something suspicious, or unusual give us a call.

PERSONAL SAFETY
  • Always keep your door locked – day or night. NEVER let strangers in.
  • Never lend your keys or leave your door unlocked for a friend.
  • Don’t bring valuables to campus. Leave them at home where they are most safe.
  • Keep cash and other small valuable out of sight.
  • Don’t prop open exterior doors. You could be letting in an intruder. The doors are locked for your safety!
  • Don’t leave your books unattended.
  • Know the location of building staff offices, phones, or other safe areas.
  • Report suspicious persons or activity to building staff or SUNO PD.
ON THE GROUNDS
  • Be alert and aware of people around you.
  • Don’t walk alone; go with a friend, group or use the on campus escort service.
  • Use public walkways, avoid shortcuts, dark or secluded places.
  • Never hitchhike, pick up hitchhikers, or ride with a stranger.
  • Never drink and drive.
  • Always lock your bike to a fixed object. Use the U-shape lock for the best security.
  • Always lock your car and take your keys with you. Lock your valuables out of sight. (In the trunk is best)
  • Know the locations of emergency telephones or public telephones. Always keep a quarter handy.
  • If you are a victim, call SUNO PDimmediately. We can assist you and advise you of your legal rights.
OFFICE CRIME PREVENTION
  • Inventory and engrave ALL office equipment. The list should include the brand name, model, color, and serial number. Keep the list updated. To have your office or personal equipment engraved, contact SUNO PD at (504) 286-5290.
  • Insist that employees place purses and other valuables either in a locked desk or file cabinet. Purses placed in the typewriter compartment of desk are not safe as long as the desk is unlocked. The thieves look here first!
  • Place RESTRICTED AREA signs conspicuously in the building where needed. This will tend to discourage thieves, and give an incentive to employees to make a note of and report building roamers or suspicious persons.
  • Inquire of people wandering the building. Your attention will be appreciated if the person is legitimate and will discourage thieves if this is not the case.
  • If people pretend to be seeking employment, ask to see proper identification and refer them to the Personnel Office in the Administration building. This will usually frustrate and discourage the building roamer and thief. Always report these incidents to SUNO PD.
  • Your office lay-out should restrict movement of the public. Public and private areas should be well defined.
  • Should a theft occur, or you have a suspicious person in your building, call the Campus Police right away. Don’t be apathetic with situations like these. The thief is depending on this.
FIRE SAFETY ON CAMPUS
  • When getting out, feel the door handle.
  • If the door handle is hot, don’t open it.
  • Go to a window and call for help.
  • If the handle is not hot, open cautiously.
  • Check for smoke or fire before going out.

Get out of the building before phoning for help.

  • Don’t take time to phone before leaving
  • Get out and find a phone.

Pull the fire alarm on the way out.

  • Don’t look for other people or gather up your stuff.
  • Knock on doors as you leave.
  • Yell “FIRE” as you leave.
  • Don’t hesitate or stray from your path as you leave.

Crawl low to the floor.

  • Thick smoke can make it impossible to see.
  • Toxic chemicals from smoke can be deadly in minutes.

Close the door behind you.

  • You may help keep the fire from spreading.
  • You may protect your possessions from fire and smoke damage.

If you can’t get out, get someone’s attention.

  • Yell and scream.
  • Hang a sheet from the window.
  • Stays low, there is less smoke and poisonous gasses close to the floor.

Once you’re out stay out.

  • You may be suffering from lack of oxygen.
  • Effects include: decreased stamina and lack of coordination, impaired judgment, mental failure, fainting, unconsciousness, nausea, coma, and death.
  • Another hazard is toxic gasses. Carbon Monoxide is a byproduct of fire. This gas can cause unconsciousness and death due to exposure.
  • Fire can fatal or debilitating burns.
  • The structural integrity of the building can be affected during a fire. Ceiling and wall may collapse.
WOMEN’S CRIME PREVENTION

What to do if you are sexually assaulted?

  • Find a safe environment — anywhere away from the attacker. Ask a trusted friend to stay with you.
  • Preserve evidence of the attack — don’t bath, shower, dusche, or brush your teeth. Write down all the details you can recall about the attack and the attacker.
  • Call the police — they can help you not only with a report but also with support resources in the area.
  • Seek medical & emotional support. Even with no physical injuries, it is important to determine the risks of STDs and pregnancy. Ask the hospital to conduct a rape kit exam and if you think you may have been drugged, ask that a urine sample be taken.
  • Remember that it was not your fault and that emotional healing from a rape takes time. Give yourself the time you need.
HOW YOU CAN HELP A VICTIM
  • Listen
  • Be supportive and non-judgmental.
  • Make it clear that the sexual assault was not the victim’s fault.
  • Don’t pry. Let the victim choose which details to release.
  • Offer options. Suggest:
    • seeking medical assistance
    • calling the police
    • seeking emotional support
    • telling others about the assault
  • Let the victim make choices. Do not control the situation. During the assault, the victim’s control was removed. You should let the victim make her/ his own decisions and begin to regain control.
  • If you are uncertain what the victim wants from you, just ask.
  • Don’t let your own emotions color your response.
  • A sexual assault often has an impact on people close to the victim. These people may need help also
How can I protect myself from being the victim of sexual assault?
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Know what’s going on around you.
  • Walk with confidence and purpose.
  • Don’t let drugs or alcohol cloud your judgment.
  • Trust your instincts. If it feels uncomfortable or uneasy, get out.
  • Be clear with men/women in your life about what your limits are.
  • Always watch your drinks and never take a drink you did not see poured.
  • If you chose to drink, then know your limits. Alcohol is still the number one date rape drug.
  • Meet first dates in public places and make alternate transportation arrangements
  • Don’t be embarrassed to make a scene, you know what’s best for you.
  • Always lock your doors.
  • Never open the door to a stranger.
  • Watch your keys, don’t lend them out. Don’t have your ID or address on the key chain.
Date rape on college campuses

Although you may not be personally involved in a sexually violent situation, chances are someone you know may be. The growing attention by the news media to rape is not due to an increased incidence of the crime, but rather to a greater willingness to talk about it. The purpose of this publication is to address the subject of acquaintance rape — a problem which is becoming frighteningly evident on college campuses. We will define acquaintance rape, offer suggestions on how to avoid it, and give information on how to help a victim. Rape is not just a problem for women. Men and women must work together to bring about the changes in our society needed to end sexual violence.

Types of Rape

People who are forced to have sexual contact against their will are victims of sexual assault. If the assault involves penetration, it is rape. Two types of rape are: Acquaintance Rape- rape by someone the victim knows. (This type of rape occurs most often.) Stranger Rape- rape by someone unknown to the victim. (This is the type you tend to hear about in the news.)

The information provided here about contributing factors, strategies for prevention, and effects on those involved applies to all forms of sexual assault, from verbal abuse to rape. No matter what the situation, sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Even if the victim and assailant are romantically involved, a crime has been committed.

Why Does Rape Happen?

Sex Role Stereotypes: Women are expected to be passive and men are expected to be aggressive. Thus, according to stereotypes, it is a man’s place to take sex from a woman. Also, many women do not feel they have the right to refuse sex.

Poor Communications: Rape can happen when two people have different expectations and desires. For example, the man may think the woman is playing hard to get when she really means no.

Learned Violence: Men are conditioned that aggression is one way to solve a problem. Rape is NOT a result of uncontrolled sexual desire! It is violence committed through sexual means.

Our Rights and Responsibilities

Rights of women and men in a relationship: Everyone has the right to dress as she/he pleases, choose when and with whom to have sex, and to be treated with respect.

According to a Nationwide Survey conducted by Ms. Magazine:

  • 52% of college women have experienced sexual assault
  • One in eight women has been a victim of rape by legal definition.

Of these women:

  • 75% did not identify the experience as rape
  • 47% were raped on first or casual dates
  • 33% did not discuss the experience with anyone
  • 90% did not report the rape to the police
  • One in 12 men admitted to having fulfilled the prevailing legal definition of rape or attempted rape, yet virtually none of these men identified themselves as rapists.

Responsibilities of men and women- Everyone should… communicate expectations about sex always respect the wishes of others and be clear and assertive about choices