Campus Safety Message
Boston University Office of the Executive Director of Public Safety
Campus Safety Message
September 2, 2014
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff of Boston University:
Welcome back!
I hope that you will take full advantage of the exciting events happening across campus and in our local community this fall. I encourage you to experience all the culture and diversity that our community has to offer and, while at the same time, I urge you to make informed choices when it comes to your personal safety and security.
This weekend and throughout the fall semester, the Boston University Police and the Boston Police will have additional patrols dedicated to our campus and adjacent neighborhoods. These patrols will be focused on identifying potential threats, and to ensure that individuals who present a danger to others are dealt with, swiftly and appropriately. The Boston Police and Boston University Police departments will share information and collaborate to assess, investigate, and address any public safety issues. We will be monitoring off campus gatherings to curb dangerous drinking, underage drinking, and other activities that are unlawful and potentially dangerous.
Additional police presence is certainly helpful in crime avoidance and increased safety for the community, but each of us also shares responsibility in this effort. Student safety begins with self-aware and safety conscious individuals who not only look out for their own safety but the safety of their fellow students. We urge you to consider a few often-repeated important safety tips:
• Travel with others (especially at night);
• Remain alert to your surroundings;
• Walk in well-lit, heavily traveled areas; avoid alleyways and deserted areas (such as parking lots);
• Avoid using cellular telephones and other electronic devices which could divert your attention from your surroundings;
• Be cautious of strangers who approach you
We also urge you to review the safety advice provided on the University’s campus safety website (www.bu.edu/safety). Please make sure you have an immediate way to contact the Boston University Police by programming our emergency number (617-353-2121) into your smartphone, and take the time to review the news section on the homepage of the Boston University Police website each week. I recommend you download to your mobile device a free app called “BU Mobile” that contains emergency buttons for calling and texting the BU Police as well as a directory, calendar, course listings, maps, and real time monitoring of the BU shuttle bus service.
The continued diligent efforts of the BU Police along with our public safety partners in the surrounding communities, combined with your diligence, are vital to the collective safety of our community. I ask that you make your personal safety, the safety of your fellow students, and the security of your property, a high priority as we begin this new academic year.
Contact the Boston University Police Department (bupolice@bu.edu; 617-353-2110, text a tip: 847411 Keyword BU) with any questions or concerns.
Remember…if you see something, say something!
Sincerely,
Thomas G. Robbins
Executive Director of Public Safety