This is what I saw from my Calmail.
To the campus community:
As you may be aware there were a number of armed robberies on campus and near
the residence halls that occurred over the past two weeks. It's important to
realize that as with any college campus, ours is not immune from crime. While
the Berkeley campus and surrounding areas are generally as safe as other urban
areas, the surge over the past two weeks in incidents of robbery, some involving
weapons, was unusual. UC Police Department (UCPD) and the City of Berkeley
police are aware of the problem and are taking extra measures in response.
These include increased uniformed and plain-clothes patrols, as well as
coordination with other local agencies to analyze the trends. UCPD recommends
programming their emergency number 510-642-3333 into your cell phone, which
connects directly to the UCPD emergency desk. For calls on a land line, dial
911.
We want to be sure you have accurate information about these recent incidents.
There have been nine robberies between September 1 and September 10 on and
around the Berkeley campus. Suspects have been arrested in four of the nine
cases. We understand that these crimes have raised concerns about safety.
We share these concerns and have been working to address them.
The robbery that occurred on campus near Haviland Hall on Monday evening,
September 10 caused the most reaction from our community. In that case,
the victim was stuck by several pellets fired from a bb gun. The victim was
also punched and kicked after initially resisting the robbery attempt. UCPD
was called and advised that there was a robbery in progress and that shots
were fired and that the victim may be injured. UCPD officers arrived very
soon after the call, saw the two juvenile suspects and pursued them. One was
caught quickly. Although the other suspect eluded officers for nearly 90
minutes; he was located and apprehended and found to be in possession of the
bb gun. During the search for the second suspect, our officers asked people
in the area to "shelter in place" in their offices or residences. The arrests
on Monday evening led to other cases being closed, and detectives from the
City of Berkeley and the UCPD are following up on other leads.
In the meantime, you can do the following to maximize your safety.
Use personal crime prevention strategies:
* Be cautious and aware of your surroundings at all times, especially at night.
* If you are on the campus late in the evening and you are unable to use UCPD's
Night Safety Services, try to walk with others on well-lit and well-traveled
routes (see them on the Night Safety Map at
http://police.berkeley.edu/PDFs/NightMap.pdf).
* Do not wear earphones or talk on the phone when walking at night.
* Do not carry your laptop in an obvious laptop case. Using a regular backpack
or book-bag reduces the ability of criminals to pick you as a target. Load
tracking software, such as Computrace, onto your system to assist with
recovering your property if it is stolen. Record the make, model and serial
number of your laptop in a secure location.
Use Night Safety Services
UCPD offers a few different ways to ensure the safety of you and your belongings
when you're leaving campus late at night. Choose one of the following ways of
getting home safely:
BearWALK
Call (510) 642-WALK (9255) after dusk and before 1:45am, 15 minutes before you
need pick up and a UCPD Community Service Officer (CSO) will meet you and walk
with you to your destination within a four to five block radius of the campus.
CSO's are uniformed, trained, and carry a police radio. Experience shows that
CSO presence makes a difference. Program boundaries are Cedar (N),
Prospect/Highland Place (E), Parker (S), and Shattuck (W.).
Night Safety Shuttles
Call (510) 642-WALK to find out when the next shuttle stops near you. Use the
Night Safety Shuttle to travel to BART or the southside residence halls. The
Ride To-Your-Door lines allow you to ride all the way home within service area
boundaries.
Owl Service
After 3am, UCPD offers van pick up and drop off service from door to door.
Call (510) 642-6760 before 5:45am.
Report Suspicious Activity
Immediately report any suspicious individuals or activities to the University
Police at 642-6760. As with any emergency situation, call 9-1-1 from any
campus phone to reach the University police Department. Program the University
police emergency number into your cell phone, as well: (510) 642-3333. This
number is treated the same as a call to 911. Although we encourage you to utilize
the Night Safety Shuttle and/or Night Escort Service (See
http://police.berkeley.edu/programsandservices/campus_safety/ index.html),
there will be times when you cannot. In those cases follow these guidelines:
* Travel with a friend or in a group
* Be alert and aware of your surroundings
* Avoid dark, vacant or deserted areas; use well-lit, well traveled routes.
* Dress in clothes and shoes which will not hamper movement
If You Sense You Are In Trouble:
* Move away from the potential threat if possible.
* Join any group of people nearby; cross the street and increase your pace.
* If a threatening situation is imminent, and people are close by to help, yell,
scream or make a commotion in any way you can to get their attention.
* Go to an open business.
* Call 911 from a safe location
We are aware that the campus community is concerned about these recent events,
and we share your concerns. If you want to contact UCPD, you can email
police@berkeley.edu or call the Crime Prevention Unit at (510) 642-9101.
You may also contact the Dean of Students at poullard@berkeley.edu.
Have a safe and healthy semester.
Victoria L. Harrison
Associate Vice Chancellor &
Chief of Police
Jonathan Poullard
Dean of Students
Now you can understand how safe Singapore is compared to America. Personally,
I haven seen any suspects being arrested in school, but I saw two blacks being
arrested near my local home on one late night. Something I only get to see
once in a blue moon back in Singapore. I would most likely call the BearWalk
service once to experience what is like to be have a "Bear" walking with you.
Haha. Tell you guys more when the day comes.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Secruity Level at Cal
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