Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by the University Police Department patrol officers between Wednesday, 11/04/09 and Thursday, 11/05/09. ****Traffic Safety Concern**** The safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers on college campuses has always been a concern – not just on this campus, but every campus. Evidence of this can be seen in the posted speed limit of 15 miles per hour on campus. Often times, people believe the safety of our roadways is the sole responsibility of vehicle drivers. This is simply not the case. Everyone shares the responsibility of roadway safety. Vehicle drivers, make sure you maintain the speed limit and actually slow down when you recognize a potential hazard. Have patience, stay alert while driving and refrain from distracting activities like talking on the cell phone, texting or eating. Bicyclist, keep in mind you and your bicycle are considered a vehicle in Texas. With that in mind, ride your bicycle in the right hand lane; not on the left side of the street or on the sidewalk. Maintain the posted speed limit – at 15 MPH, a bicyclist could be in danger of speeding. You should also pedal with the belief that other vehicles and pedestrians around you can't see you. Finally, pedestrians, please keep in mind there are other forms of transportation moving around you. These other forms are often travelling faster than you are and carry more mass. A collision between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle or even a bicycle results in more injury to the pedestrian than the other person(s) involved in the collision. As a pedestrian, stay out of the roadway whenever possible. The roadway is occupied by cars, buses, trucks and bicyclists. It is much harder to get struck by one of the aforementioned if you are not in the space they occupy. That means you should not walk in the roadway or cross the street midblock. Vehicle drivers and bicyclist do not expect to see you stepping out from between two parked cars to cross the street – sometimes they don't see you at all. Many of us like to listen to music while driving, cycling or walking. This is a dangerous proposition for all of us when it comes to traffic safety. If you are preoccupied by the car radio or the MP3 player to the point you can't hear what is happening around you then you may not hear the sounds of danger approaching. While driving, turn the radio down. While cycling or walking, only use one ear-bud to listen to your MP3 player. ****Theft Stat Countdown**** WOW – I checked the numbers several times this morning and discovered yesterday I had read a number wrong – we don't have 27 thefts to go as I had reported yesterday, we had 44 thefts to go (poor penmanship). With today's thefts, we are down to 42 reported thefts from tying the lowest theft rate we have had in four years. There are 56 days left in 2009. Our goal is always to prevent all thefts, but it sure would be a nice end to the calendar year knowing we had the lowest theft rate in four years. Let's all do our part to prevent thefts. Make sure you keep your office or dorm room door closed and locked. Mark your property with your state issued driver's license number. Use a quality u-lock and a cable lock to secure your bicycle. Be sure to report suspicious activity to the UT Police Department at 512-471-4441. Finally, never, ever leave your property unattended. L. THEO BELLMONT HALL, 2109 San Jacinto Theft: A staff member who was working in the Longhorn Limited Store observed a non-UT subject taking Nike merchandise and placing the items inside his bag. The staff member promptly reported the activity. Upon arrival of the police the subject was still inside the store “looking at merchandise.†Upon seeing the officers, the subject put the bag down and walked away from it. The subject stated he found the bag in the store. Inside the bag, officers found several items of merchandise totaling $627.92. In addition to other law enforcement action taken, the subject was issued a written criminal trespass warning. Recovered value: $627.92. Reported on 11/04/09 at 3:10 PM. PETER T. FLAWN ACADEMIC CENTER, #2 West Mall Criminal Trespass Warning: A non-UT subject was reported as asking for money from people while on the south side of the library. As the officer approached, the subject turned around, placed his hands behind his back and stated, “Aren't you gonna [sic] arrest me for panhandling?†As this was our first dealing with the subject for soliciting, he was issued a written criminal trespass warning. Occurred on 11/04/09 at 6:43 PM. PHARMACY BUILDING, 2409 University Theft: A grey Specialized bicycle was stolen while it was “secured†with a cable lock to a bicycle rack located on the southeast side of the building. Loss value: $1,400.00. Occurred on 11/03/09 between 2:00 PM and 2:45 PM. 2000 Speedway Harassment: A UT student flagged down a UT Police Officer to report harassing telephone calls. The student advised an acquaintance she met through a friend had placed 20 unwanted and annoying telephone calls to her cellular telephone even after she advised the subject to stop calling her. The calls were placed between 12 midnight and 1:00 AM. CAMPUS WIDE: Non-Criminal Calls: In addition to the above criminal cases, the University of Texas Police Department responded to 12 alarm calls, 2 suspicious activity reports, 1 public assist request, 1 medical emergency assist, 1 stuck elevator call and 4 unsecured door reports between 11/04/09 and 11/05/09. If you are a faculty or staff member that has been affected by a crime, the UT Employee Assistance Program (471-3366) is available for counseling and referrals to other appropriate services. http://www.utexas.edu/hr/eap/ Emergency Text Message Service The University of Texas at Austin and its police department are responsible for notifying faculty, staff, and students of emergency situations (e.g., inclement weather, building evacuations, campus closures, etc.). The University employs a wide variety of tools to make sure everyone on campus is informed during an emergency event—including text messaging. In order to accomplish emergency text messaging more effectively, the University is collecting cell phone numbers from members of our campus community. Effective August 26, 2009, this database of cell phone numbers will be used for emergency text messages. Please complete the form at http://www.utexas.edu/cellphonealert so you will become an integral part of this important emergency notification system and help the university to achieve the highest standards of campus and community safety. Your cell phone number will not be used for . Campus Safety and Security at (512) 471-5767. Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) The Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) is a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). BCAL provides a central resource for UT faculty, students and staff who may have concerns about the behavior or well-being of another member of the campus community. By calling BCAL at 512-232-5050, callers may talk with trained staff members who will assist the caller in exploring available options and strategies as well as referrals to appropriate campus support networks. For more information on BCAL, visit the BCAL Web site at www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal or call 512-232-5050. To view a map of the campus visit: http://www.utexas.edu/parking/maps/index.html RAD Program For Women, Now Available (Classes are FREE) Advanced RAD Classes Being Held for RAD Class Graduates The RAD program is a 16-hour course of realistic self-defense tactics and techniques for women that cover assault prevention and risk reduction while progressing on to basic hands-on defense training. http://www.utexas.edu/police/rad/ Defensive Driving: Learn Defensive Driving from a UTPD Police Officer. UTPD generally schedules a Defensive Driving Class approximately once a month – based on need. The classes meet in the University Police Building, Room 1.318, located at 2201 Robert Dedman Dr (east of Memorial Stadium). The cost for the course is $25.00 (check or cash) payable on class date. If paying in cash, please bring the exact amount because change may not be available. You will also need to bring your driver's license. For more information, to check for the next available class time or to register on-line go to: http://www.utexas.edu/police/services/defensive_driving.php Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) The Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) is a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). BCAL provides a central resource for UT faculty, students, and staff who may have concerns about the behavior or well-being of another member of the campus community. By calling BCAL at 512-232-5050, callers may talk with trained staff members who will assist the caller in exploring available options and strategies as well as referrals to appropriate campus support networks. For more information on BCAL, visit the BCAL Web site at www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal or call 512-232-5050. Contact UT Police at 471-4441 if you have any information regarding any of the above incidents or call 911 regarding suspicious persons, suspicious activities or crime. Your call may help solve or prevent a crime. Campus Watch comments should be directed to Officer Darrell Halstead at 512-232-9634 or via e-mail to Darrell.halstead@austin.utexas.edu . Prepared by WRP To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php
