Crime Prevention Tip of the Week: Your cell phone is a powerful crime-fighting tool. It can tell you or UTPD where you are, get resources where they need to go in an emergency, and even take pictures that prove helpful in the future. Have a way to keep your phone’s battery charged when on campus. Don’t hesitate to dial 911 if you believe you are being followed, or any other time you may feel unsafe. The most important piece of information you can have, when you dial 911, is your location, so practice asking yourself how you would describe your location in an emergency. Also, check out this PSA on the Text-to 9-1-1 program from the Capital Area Council of Governments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouxl9RdjgI0. We still encourage our community to walk with others, especially in late hours, and a cell phone is not a substitute for being with someone else. We also wanted to send a second reminder about UTPD’s free self-defense course for women, RAD, and also note that the correct dates of the next three-day course will actually be from April 1-3rd, from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Register at this web address: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/fasweb/utpd/classes/nlogon/ Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus criminal activity reported to or observed by The University of Texas at Austin Police Department between Sunday 2/24/19 and Saturday 3/2/19. 2/25/2019, at 7:45 p.m., 2025 Guadalupe (Target). Theft: UTPD monitors the radio traffic from APD to stay informed about emergencies near campus. This evening, they heard APD officers respond to a report of a robbery at the Target in the Dobie Center. Our officers were close and one quickly met with the loss prevention officer inside Target to get a clear description, so officers could check campus for the suspect. During this investigation, that officer learned that the robbery report was a miscommunication. A man was stealing 2 televisions by cutting off security tags with a knife, and fled the store with the televisions. A robbery involves intentionally threatening others, and that wasn’t the case here. UTPD officers conducted a successful search, quickly found the man, and the televisions, and placed him under arrest. UTPD then transported the man to Travis County Jail without further incident, and Target’s property was returned to them. 2/27/2019, at 8:15 p.m., 2600 Nueces (26 West Apartments). Public Intoxication: UTPD was called about an unconscious and unresponsive person on a bench next to the 26 West apartments in West Campus. Per the caller, the man had not moved in five hours. Officers arrived and observed a large amount of vomit next to the man, and his head slumped over his stomach. The man actually immediately looked up and told officers “I’m good.” Officers contacted EMS to make sure this man was OK. While waiting, the man attempted to get up, but stumbled and had to sit back down. He was so intoxicated on alcohol that his speech was difficult to understand. Not long ago, UTPD would probably have arrested this man for Public Intoxication, because being that intoxicated in public is dangerous, and this keeps the man from being hurt. This process is time consuming and results in a criminal charge, albeit a minor one. Instead, the man was transported to the Sobering Center, located a few blocks south of campus. There, the man was left in the care of medical professionals in safety, until he sobered up. He was offered peer counselling on addiction, and other resources that will be more effective than a criminal charge. 2/28/2019, at 1:15 p.m., 2304 Whitis Ave (Flawn Academic Center). Criminal Trespass: Some may recall a series of thefts that occurred several weeks ago in various buildings in the northwest part of our campus. And if you work in one of the affected areas, you may have observed your District Representatives talking to you about what we could do better. The pattern for these thefts was familiar: Someone walking into work spaces, pretending to be lost, and taking unattended wallets or purses, and then using the stolen credit cards. Students and staff were asked to always secure their belongings, and to call UTPD if suspicious people enter areas they shouldn’t. It’s also important that we don’t let people “piggy-back” into buildings or offices after we provide an authorized card-swipe. On this day, a man entered and was looking around a secure office on the second floor of the Flawn Academic Center, and staff did not recognize him. They wisely contacted UTPD, and Officers were able to stop and identify the man on the ground floor. The man was not able to explain how he got into the secure office, or what he was doing there, but he insisted he was a UT Student. UTPD checked and found that not only was the man not a UT Student, but he had been stopped for the same behavior a few months ago, and given a written Criminal Trespass Warning for all UT building. The man was arrested for Criminal Trespass and transported to Travis County Jail without incident. By the way, many of those thefts from a few weeks ago were solved by UTPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit, and the perpetrator has been arrested by another agency. 2/28/2019, at 10:07 a.m., 1800 San Antonio St. Theft; Possession of Controlled Substance: An officer was flagged down on the scene by a victim of theft. The victim explained he saw his backpack and motorcycle helmet stolen, and provided UTPD with a great description of two suspects. We searched the area, and an officer located people matching the description and carrying both a motorcycle helmet and a backpack. During the interview, the officer saw telltale signs that one man may be preparing to run, and detained the suspects until he could complete his investigation. The men were then read a Miranda warning off a UTPD issued card, and one admitted to committing the theft, and he was arrested. When someone is arrested, it is important for safety that their property is searched “incident to arrest” before they are transported to jail. During this search, an electronic cigarette with yellow material was found, and one of the men admitted it contained THC oil. When describing someone to the police, first take note of the exact location. If a suspicious person is leaving that area, note their direction of travel, and if they have any weapons. If they are in a vehicle, try to note the license place, make, model, and anything unique about the vehicle, such as a bumper sticker. Take note of a person’s age, race, height in comparison to yours, and build. Take note of details from head to toe, such as hat, whether their eyes were clear or bloodshot, and facial hair, tattoos, and scars. Clothing information, including bags, is also helpful. Take note if someone is sloppy, clean or dirty. A good description makes it much easier for UTPD to be successful in helping you. Campus Wide: The University of Texas Police Department responded to 529 total calls for service, including 146 Alarm Activations, 126 Foot Patrols, 53 Traffic Violations, and 22 Welfare Concerns between Sunday 2/24/19 and Saturday 3/2/19. To view our official crime log, visit https://police.utexas.edu/crimelog/. This week's Campus Watch was prepared by Officer Dustin Farahnak.
