UTPD Announcements: Self-Defense Course Offerings Free, three day self-defense courses open to registration now. Sign up for either February 26-28 or April 6-8. The nightly sessions are held at UPB (UTPD headquarters, 2201 Robert Dedman Drive). Open to any UT community member or UT parent. Register here: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/fasweb/utpd/classes/nlogon/ Victims Advocate Network Information Session The Victims Advocate Network (VAN) consists of UT employees who volunteer for response to anyone who experiences a distressing event on campus. An information session will be held at UPB, February 10th from 11-11:45 a.m. If interested in attending, email Marica Kelley, at victims-network@austin.utexas.edu. February 2, 2020 at 7:57 p.m., 1501 Red River St. (Dell Seton Medical Center UT) Assault of Emergency Services Personnel/ Criminal Trespass: A security guard was summoned to assist after a person refused to leave the hospital. During that conversation, the person punched the security guard and ripped the shoulder strap from his shirt. A UTPD officer arrived during the physical fight and was able to place the person under arrest. The person was transported to Travis County Jail without incident. Safety Tip: Anyone can come to the emergency room when they need help. However, once medical treatment is provided, some insist on staying. This causes problems for the limited rooms and staff that are needed for other patients. Dell Seton has its own security team to assist with resolving these matters. Assaulting ER staff such as nurses or security guards is a serious crime. The professionals at the hospital know to call UTPD any time they need assistance and are invaluable partners. February 2, 2020 at 4:51 a.m. 1900 University Ave (ATT Conference Center Garage) Criminal Mischief/ Criminal Trespass/ Criminal Instrument: Staff at the ATT Conference Center use the “tiered approach” to many encounters in order to promote de-escalation and safety. An employee thought she saw a person pulling on door handles to cars in the garage underneath her building. When taking a second look, the person told her to “stop following me” and began striking a car with a pocket multi-tool. The employee called UTPD. Officers arrived quickly and a routine inquiry on the person’s name showed UTPD had recently issued him a Criminal Trespass Warning for all of campus. The person was arrested on multiple charges and transported to the Travis County Jail without further incident. The appropriate information was also provided to the vehicle owner. Safety Tip: UTPD uses discretion in arrests to fulfill our department mission: “To keep you and our UT community safe.” In this and the previous example, the arrest was of someone whose behavior showed some danger. We also use Criminal Trespass Warnings to ensure those who have no business on campus and have behaved improperly in the past (often with Regent’s Rules or Criminal violations) are no longer free to return. Staff at ATT did an excellent job contacting UTPD as soon as they recognized this situation could not be handled safely without our help. February 8, 2020 Suspicious Activity: UTPD received a call from a member of our community that someone on the internet was threatening to post sexual photos of them if they did not pay them money. Safety Tip: The most important rule in all three of these examples is to call UTPD when you feel unsafe. In this example the specifics are unimportant, but there are important tips to keep in mind. 1) Contact the police as soon as possible. Your case will be handled without judgment. 2) Do not communicate with the criminal. 3) Do not pay. These types of extortion rarely end after the first payment. 4) Protect your online presence by ensuring all passwords are different. If video or photos are hosted on YouTube, Facebook, or other websites, use their online reporting process. Consider suspending these accounts for the time being. They can be reactivated later. 5) Preserve evidence by taking screenshots of any suspicious messages and the profile IDs that are associated with them. 6) Consider utilizing UT Austin’s resources, such as the Counselling and Mental Health Center, to discuss this event. Texas has recently revised Chapter 21 of the Penal Code to address this modern, technology-based crime with a several new offenses. This behavior would constitute a state jail felony. Don’t forget to connect with UTPD via Twitter and Facebook, and remember you can reach out to your campus District Representative with any non-emergency concerns or questions you have. Other great social media resources include the Twitter feeds for UT Austin’s Office of Campus Safety and the Austin Police Department. To view our official crime log, visit: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/fasweb/utpd/nlogon/crimelog/ UTPD Announcements: Self-Defense Course Offerings Free, three day self-defense courses open to registration now. Sign up for either February 26-28 or April 6-8. The nightly sessions are held at UPB (UTPD headquarters, 2201 Robert Dedman Drive). Open to any UT community member or UT parent. Register here: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/fasweb/utpd/classes/nlogon/ February 2, 2020 at 7:57 p.m., 1501 Red River St. (Dell Seton Medical Center UT) Assault of Emergency Services Personnel/ Criminal Trespass: A security guard was summoned to assist after a person refused to leave the hospital. During that conversation, the person punched the security guard and ripped the shoulder strap from his shirt. A UTPD officer arrived during the physical fight and was able to place the person under arrest. The person was transported to Travis County Jail without incident. Safety Tip: Anyone can come to the emergency room when they need help. However, once medical treatment is provided, some insist on staying. This causes problems for the limited rooms and staff that are needed for other patients. Dell Seton has its own security team to assist with resolving these matters. Assaulting ER staff such as nurses or security guards is a serious crime. The professionals at the hospital know to call UTPD any time they need assistance and are invaluable partners. February 2, 2020 at 4:51 a.m. 1900 University Ave (ATT Conference Center Garage) Criminal Mischief/ Criminal Trespass/ Criminal Instrument: Staff at the ATT Conference Center use the “tiered approach” to many encounters in order to promote de-escalation and safety. An employee thought she saw a person pulling on door handles to cars in the garage underneath her building. When taking a second look, the person told her to “stop following me” and began striking a car with a pocket multi-tool. The employee called UTPD. Officers arrived quickly and a routine inquiry on the person’s name showed UTPD had recently issued him a Criminal Trespass Warning for all of campus. The person was arrested on multiple charges and transported to the Travis County Jail without further incident. The appropriate information was also provided to the vehicle owner. Safety Tip: UTPD uses discretion in arrests to fulfill our department mission: “To keep you and our UT community safe.” In this and the previous example, the arrest was of someone whose behavior showed some danger. We also use Criminal Trespass Warnings to ensure those who have no business on campus and have behaved improperly in the past (often with Regent’s Rules or Criminal violations) are no longer free to return. Staff at ATT did an excellent job contacting UTPD as soon as they recognized this situation could not be handled safely without our help. February 8, 2020 Suspicious Activity: UTPD received a call from a member of our community that someone on the internet was threatening to post sexual photos of them if they did not pay them money. Safety Tip: The most important rule in all three of these examples is to call UTPD when you feel unsafe. In this example the specifics are unimportant, but there are important tips to keep in mind. 1) Contact the police as soon as possible. Your case will be handled without judgment. 2) Do not communicate with the criminal. 3) Do not pay. These types of extortion rarely end after the first payment. 4) Protect your online presence by ensuring all passwords are different. If video or photos are hosted on YouTube, Facebook, or other websites, use their online reporting process. Consider suspending these accounts for the time being. They can be reactivated later. 5) Preserve evidence by taking screenshots of any suspicious messages and the profile IDs that are associated with them. 6) Consider utilizing UT Austin’s resources, such as the Counselling and Mental Health Center, to discuss this event. Texas has recently revised Chapter 21 of the Penal Code to address this modern, technology-based crime with a several new offenses. This behavior would constitute a state jail felony. Don’t forget to connect with UTPD via Twitter and Facebook, and remember you can reach out to your campus District Representative with any non-emergency concerns or questions you have. Other great social media resources include the Twitter feeds for UT Austin’s Office of Campus Safety and the Austin Police Department. To view our official crime log, visit: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/fasweb/utpd/nlogon/crimelog/
