Safety Tips

Texas Wesleyan University Campus Safety and Security Department

Your personal safety is a cooperative effort of everyone on campus. Texas Wesleyan University Campus Safety Department provides you with these personal safety tips to help you stay safe.  If you feel uncomfortable or have any safety concerns, do not hesitate to call the Campus Security Department for assistance or an escort at 817-531-4911.

  • At night, try to stay in well-lit areas and use routes that appear more heavily traveled.
  • Avoid walking alone through isolated areas; avoid shortcuts through parking lots, parks and deserved areas.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Campus Safety escort service and use it when you feel uncomfortable walking alone x 4911.
  • Be aware of what is going on around you. If you suspect you are being followed, indicate your suspicion by looking behind you. If you are on foot, cross the street, change directs, or vary your speed.  Head for a place with people as soon as possible, such as a residence or academic building.
  • Follow your gut instincts; if your intuition tells you that you are at risk, try to leave the situation quickly.  For example, if you see someone suspicious in a parking lot, leave the area and call the Campus Safety Department at x7911 and/or 911.
  • If you enter an elevator and the person riding with you is making you uncomfortable, leave.  Get off before the door closes, or leave at the next floor.
  • Use the buddy system; when with a friend at a party or pub, agree to watch out for each other and to leave the event together or in a group.
  • If you know you will be returning home late at night, consider what you will be wearing: can you run quickly?

Personal Safety in Parking Lots

  • Walk to your vehicle in pairs or in a group.
  • Follow a well-lit pathway or roadway.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Watch for suspicious people or activities.
  • Use the escort service.
  • When you enter your vehicle, lock all the doors and turn on your headlights. This will allow you to see anyone outside in the dark.
  • If you are unfamiliar with the parking lot, drive through it and check it first. If you don’t feel safe, go elsewhere and wait for someone else to arrive.
  • Have your keys in your hand so that you don’t have to search for them when you reach your vehicle.
  • When you know you will be returning to your vehicle late at night, try to park close to a light standard or in a well-lit area.
  • Before getting into your vehicle, visually inspect the interior for anything suspicious.
  • Report any safety concerns to the Campus Safety Department or the local Sheriff’s Department.

Tips on Avoiding Theft of Personal Property

Theft is the unlawful taking of personal property and is the single most common crime on campus. What can you do to prevent THEFT?  Simply remove the opportunity by following the suggestions below:

STUDENT RESIDENCE
  • Lock your doors/windows whenever you leave your room or house
  • Do not allow unescorted strangers inside your room/house
  • Be suspicious of unknown persons loitering in the area
  • Never leave an exterior door propped open
  • Keep a record of your valuable
OFFICES
  • Avoid keeping handbags under your desk
  • Lock your office door if the office is left unattended, even for short periods
  • Do not bring large sums of cash to work with you
  • Carry only the credit cards and identification required
  • If you must leave your purse or wallet in your work area, lock it in a locker or desk
  • Report any suspicious persons or activities to the Campus Safety Department or the local Police/Sheriff’s Department
LIBRARY
  • Do not leave personal property unattended even for a minute
  • Report any suspicious persons/activities or library personnel or the Campus Safety Department
  • Keep personal property in view at all times
  • Try not to bring valuables with you to the library
ATHLETIC FACILITIES
  • Secure all personal property in a locker
  • Avoid carrying large sums of money or other valuables with you to the athletic facility
  • Report any suspicious persons to the athletic staff or the Campus Safety Department
  • Keep your locker locked whenever unattended

 

 

 

TIPS TO AVOID THEFT FROM YOUR CAR

  1. Lock your vehicle every time you leave it.
    • Make it a habit. A criminal will always use the easiest way into a vehicle.
  2. Don’t leave your windows rolled down, not even a crack.
    • A criminal will use the window to force his way into the car, so don’t give him that advantage.
  3. Don’t leave vital information in your car.
    • Your registration and insurance cards contain personal home information that allows a criminal to then target your home.  Carry them in your wallet or your purse.
  4. Park in well lit areas.
    • Criminals don’t like to be seen. Parking under or near a light standard will improve other people’s view of your car.  It also improves your personal safety.
  5. Mark valuables (i.e. Stereo equipment) with a personal number.
    • If personal property is stolen from your vehicle, a number or marking (such as a driver’s license number), will help the police trace the item back to you.  Make sure the mark is permanently affixed so the criminal cannot erase them.
  6. Don’t leave valuables in view for a thief.
    • The famous saying, “out of sight, out of mind” is applicable here.  If the criminal can’t see it, he can’t steal it.  Take valuables with you or put them in your trunk. Do not put them in the glove box, as that is the first place a criminal looks.
  7. Affix your parking permit to your windshield.
    • Parking permits are one of the most popular items stolen at Colleges and Universities.  Make it more difficult to steal by sticking it to your windshield.
  8. Invest in a car alarm
    • A criminal does not like to be seen. Creating attention to your vehicle if something is wrong will deter him from attempting anything further.
  9. Notify the Campus Safety Department or the local Police/Sheriff’s Department of any suspicious people or activities.