Public Safety Crime Prevention Update

By | January 3, 2019

Good Morning Campus Community,

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday.  As we kick off the spring semester 2019, here are a few things to pass along from Public Safety:

  • A warm welcome to all new students, faculty, and staff who are joining us for the Spring 2018 semester. If you have not already done so, please review our Guide to Safer Living, which provides an excellent overview of safety and security at the College of Charleston. If you have any questions as you acquaint yourself to campus, please contact me at Public Safety or visit Public Safety’s webpage.
  • Maintaining a safe and secure campus is a community effort. Do your part by reporting suspicious activity to Public Safety. Describe specifically what you observed, including: who or what you saw; when you saw it; where it occurred; and why it is suspicious. You can learn more about reporting suspicious activity through the Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign.
  • As we enter a new semester, now is a good time to review the City of Charleston’s bicycle and skateboard regulations. Public Safety Officers are issuing citations to bicyclists and skateboarders violating these ordinances. This includes: riding on a sidewalk, traveling the wrong way down a one way street, disregarding traffic control devices, etc. As a reminder, bicyclists and skateboarders should ride with the flow of traffic, and obey all traffic signs and signals. Please review the ordinances relating to bicycles and skateboards here.
  • Since the season of gift giving has just come to a close, now is an opportune time to remind everyone of Public Safety’s Operation ID and Computer registration program. For those of you returning to campus with computers, cell phones, and other electronics, please stop by Public Safety to register your items. We will keep serial numbers and other important information about your valuables on file. Having this information will assist with the recovery and return process in the event your item is lost or stolen. This service is available 24/7, so stop by anytime.
  • Most of you have probably seen information sent from Public Safety titled, “Timely Warning.” What exactly are these notifications and how are they different from a Cougar Alert?
    • Timely Warning– Narrow focus on Clery crimes. Timely warnings are triggered by crimes that have already occurred but represent an ongoing threat. A Timely Warning is issued for any Clery crime committed in Clery geography that is reported to campus security authorities or a local law enforcement agency and is considered by the institution to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees. Warnings are issued as soon as the pertinent information is available.
    • Cougar Alert– Wide focus on any significant emergency or dangerous situation (may include Clery crimes). An emergency notification is triggered by an event that is currently occurring on or imminently threatening the campus. Emergency notification procedures are initiated for any significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on the campus.
  • Be social with us! If you have not already, please follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram for departmental news, upcoming events, and other important information.  If you are having trouble accessing our pages, please make sure you are signed into your social media account.

 Crime Prevention Tip:

Familiarize yourself with the locations of the emergency call boxes around campus. A map of the emergency call boxes can be found here.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Take Care and Be Safe,

 

Robert S. Reese,  M.S.M.

Chief of Police

Office of the President

College of Charleston

Campus Safety and Security Area

89 St.Philip Street

Charleston, SC 29424

843-953-2468 (office )

843-953-2105 ( fax )

Email: reeser@cofc.edu

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