Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by the University Police Department between Tuesday, 01/17/12 and Wednesday, 01/18/12. ADMINISTRATIVE MESSAGE In the early morning hours of January 1, 2012, three women were separately attacked in the area of W. 31st and King Street (north of our campus); one of them murdered. The victims in the attack describe the suspect as a black male, aged 30 to 40, approximately six feet tall with a muscular build. He has large dark brown eyes and was last seen wearing a grey hooded jacket over a dark colored t-shirt and blue jeans. A composite is available at http://www.utexas.edu/police/alerts/january1_attacks.html. Given the proximity of this incident to campus, UTPD is advising faculty, staff, and students (especially those living in the area of the attacks) to be aware their surroundings and immediately report suspicious individuals or activities. APD and UTPD ask that anyone with information about the identity of the suspect in the composite or about any of the three incidents call the Homicide Tip Line at 477-3588 or Crimestoppers at 472-TIPS. Crime Prevention Tips: Do not walk alone at night. Contact SURE WALK at 512-232-WALK (9255). SURE WALK can provide and escort to all student, staff, or faculty member anywhere on campus or a short distance off campus. Ensure you have locked your doors and windows. Even when you are inside. When walking around campus or the City of Austin do not distract yourself by having both ear buds in. Leave one out so you are aware of what is going on around you. When you see a suspicious person or witness suspicious activity take the time to report it. Austin Police Department’s number is 911 / UTPD’s number is 911. Use Common Sense and Good Judgment. This is key to any type of safety plan. The following contribution is from a Campus Watch subscriber to their student: Please read the crime prevention tips....and please add....DO NOT TEXT OR TALK ON PHONE WHILE WALKING.....HUGE DISTRACTION and you cannot be alert and focused to what's going on around you which then MAKES YOU A TARGET.... Love you, Mom ENGINEERING SCIENCE BUILDING, 2501 Speedway Theft: A grey Roadmaster mountain bicycle was reported stolen from the bike racks located on the west side of the building after being secured with a self-locking cable lock. Loss value: $95.00. Occurred on: 1-17-12, between 2:18 PM and 3:15 PM. GREGORY GYM, 2101 Speedway Theft / Fraud: A UT student discovered an unknown subject had taken his UT ID card while he was working out inside Gregory Gym. During the investigation, the officer learned several unauthorized charges had been made at various locations around campus. Loss value: $90.00. Occurred on: 1-17-12, between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. LIVING LEARNING CENTER B, 2610 Whitis Ave Theft: A blue and white Trek mountain bicycle was reported stolen from the bike racks located on the northeast side of the building after being secured with a two-lock locking system. During the investigation, the officer determined the U-shaped lock had been pried apart and the self-locking cable lock had been cut. Loss value: $500.00. Occurred between: 1-16-12 and 1-17-12. 2500 BLOCK UNIVERSITY AVE Theft: A silver and blue Trek mountain bicycle was reported stolen from the bike racks located on the west side of Burdine Hall after being secured with a U-shaped lock and a chain lock. Loss value: $500.00. Occurred between: 12-13-11 and 1-15-12. The University of Texas Police Department responded to 18 Alarm Calls, 1 Suspicious Activity Report, 3 Suspicious Person Reports, 6 Unsecured Door Reports between 01/17/12 and 01/18/12. To view a map of the campus visit: Are you a Fan of the University of Texas Police Department? Come join us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/utaustinpolice Online property registration. Items with a serial number such as laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, electronics, and bikes are eligible. Registering your property is very helpful in theft investigations and in returning lost property to its rightful owner. Without identifying information, recovering stolen property is virtually impossible. Logon to https://www.utexas.edu/police/property/ to register your property today. Lost and Found Property Did you lose something on campus? Please report your missing property to UTPD Lost and Found at http://www.utexas.edu/police/lostandfound. Or call 512-232-9619 and describe your item to us. If we have your item, we’ll contact you as quickly as possible to arrange its return to you. UTPD handles over 5000 lost and found items each year from campus departments, although we cannot accept clothing, food or drink containers, toiletries, broken or soiled property. Campus departments are encouraged to call 471-4441 to have UTPD pick up lost and found items that are unclaimed after one week. 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. 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 RAD Program For Women, Now Available (Classes are FREE) 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/ 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. 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/ 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: DWH To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php\
