Residence hall rooms left unlocked, bicycles not secured and locked, and personal property left unattended account for the majority of reports of stolen property. Incidents of violence such as assaults are infrequent; however, the prevention of these crimes should remain foremost in the minds of all members of the community. While there is a certain amount of risk involved in nearly everything we do, we can reduce these risks by exercising care in our everyday activities.

1. Lock your door whenever your room is unattended or when you are sleeping.
2. Engrave your valuables.
3. Do not "hide" keys under mats, over doors or in other obvious places.
4. Report suspicious persons immediately.
5. Keep articles of value out of sight.
6. Report doors, windows, locks, or lights in need of repair.
7. Never prop doors open.
8. Don't lend your key to others.
9. Avoid working alone or studying alone in a building late at night.

The College of Charleston is located in an urban setting. Our campus is historically significant and host to numerous visitors who come to enjoy the beauty and architecture. As a state institution, the general public has access to most of our facilities during the hours that buildings are open (6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; Saturday and Sunday by special request). Buildings are secured by Public Safety officers at 11:00 p.m. Buildings during summer are open to reflect operational needs (ex., Maymester and summer school, summer conference housing for specialty groups). Public Safety officers conduct frequent checks of building interiors daily. Access after buildings are secured can be obtained by special permission from the faculty or, in case of emergency, by Public Safety. Building security/safety tips are posted in buildings campus-wide.

• Please notify The Department of Public Safety regarding any safety hazards you may identify.
• All major buildings on campus are equipped with emergency lighting. Do not enter an unlighted building.
• Call Public Safety and wait for an officer to escort you into the building.
• Avoid using restrooms in buildings that are not heavily populated (after hours, on weekends, etc.). Bathrooms are isolated and closed stalls provide excellent hiding places for someone looking to commit a crime.
• If using classrooms, practice rooms, computer labs, or science labs after hours or weekends, notify campus police (953-5609).
• Know the locations of all intra campus telephones in every building.
• Know the names and locations of all campus buildings.
• Know the location of the nearest call box to your residence hall, study room, practice room, classroom, parking lot, etc.
• Notify Public Safety immediately if you witness or suspect that someone is in possession of a weapon of any kind.
• Possessing/carrying a weapon on any College of Charleston property is a violation of both state law and campus policy.
• Don’t leave personal items such as book bags, jackets or keys unattended. Tracing and recovery of these items is extremely difficult especially in high traffic areas.

Campus state security officers are assigned within the residence halls between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., seven days a week. Access to residence halls is restricted to residents and their guests. Approximately 3,000 students live within campus-owned facilities. The remainder of enrolled students (approximately 7,000) live in off campus, private residences under the security patrol jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies relative to that area.

Numerous security cameras are strategically placed within major residence hall facilities and around campus (ex., stairwells, lobbies, laundry areas, on buildings, on poles).

Before the beginning of the academic year, Residence Life and Housing live-in staff receive extensive training on policies, security, campus-based programs and intervention resources available to the campus community. Training for front-line staff is ongoing. Hall directors and area coordinators serve on-call rotation.

Maintenance craftsmen who work specifically for assigned residence areas have an office within that area. These craftsmen are full-time employees and respond to specific work orders initiated by students. Background checks are conducted all on Residence Life and Housing permanent and temporary employees by Human Resources.

Security review of buildings and security maintenance updates are ongoing. Inspections are conducted and security plans initiated by appropriate staff in Residence Life and Housing and the Department of Public Safety. Outside consultation to review campus security is periodically conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division with recommendations provided in a security report to the Director of Public Safety. An annual meeting with the City of Charleston Police Department is conducted before the start of the academic year. At this meeting, officials discuss potential problems, issues and new initiatives in an effort to maintain a strong cooperative partnership that benefits our students, faculty and staff.

In accordance with South Carolina Code of Law 23-3-400et seq., the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) maintains the state-wide sex offender registry. This registry allows for a search of sex offenders by name, city, county or zip code and, under College Report, provides information on any known sex offender registered as a student attending a college within South Carolina. To access the sex offender registry or to find out more information pertaining to the registry, go to www.sled.sc.gov. or visit Public Safety headquarters at 81B St. Philip Street.

The Public Safety Records Unit serves as archivist for all incident reports filed within the jurisdiction of Public Safety. A request for an incident/accident report should be made to the Records Clerk located at Public Safety Headquarters. Requests may be submitted from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Processing of reports once a request has been submitted takes approximately three business days. A daily log which is a listing of all crimes reported to Public Safety is available for public viewing. Update of the log is completed within two business days of the filing of an initial report except where disclosure of such information is prohibited by law; such disclosure would jeopardize the confidentiality of the victim; and/or release of such information would jeopardize any component of an ongoing criminal investigation.

The following services are offered through our Public Safety Department: Fingerprinting, Project Identification for Property, Computer Registration, Lost and Found, Bicycle Registration, Residence Hall Safety Meetings, Whistle Defense Program, Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) Classes, Monthly Building and Lighting Checks and Security Surveys. Please contact 953-4980 for further information.

Certified Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) instructors offer a twelve-hour course in self-defense for women. The course focus is to enable women to learn a set of cognitive and physical skills that can help them reduce their risk of victimization. Offering basic education in confrontational principles and personal defense, the program progresses through the stages of awareness, risk reduction and avoidance and provides basic physical defense techniques. R.A.D. empowers participants and helps them realize that training, responsible decision-making and development of physical power are tools that build confidence and critical self-awareness. Please contact Public Safety at 953-4980 for registration information on the next available class. For information regarding the 2006 RAD class schedule, please see the information at www.cofc.edu/publicsafety/helpfulinfo/RAD.php

We encourage all members of the campus community to use common sense and practice good personal safety techniques at all times. Students and employees alike are encouraged to walk in pairs and groups especially during the hours of darkness. However, when this is not possible, please use the campus escort service. Available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, this on-campus service is intended for those who need a security escort to/from class, residence hall or parking lots/facilities. To access the program call 953-5609 and provide the following information to the dispatcher:

• your name,
• phone number
• current location,
• where you wish to go, and
• a physical description of yourself. (Please remain in your car or wait in the building lobby until a Campus Police representative arrives.

This program, staffed by our on-patrol officers, serves a community of over 10,000. Calls for escort service are dispatched immediately. However, an excessive delay in response time may be due to a high volume use of the program. If this occurs, please place your call again.

Security on the College campus has been enhanced through the installation of emergency call boxes. To date, there are over forty emergency call boxes in various locations to provide immediate interaction and assistance. Remote activation devices for individuals with special needs may be obtained through Public Safety headquarters at 81-B St. Philip Street. To activate the call box:

• Push in the call button and release. (An automated emergency alert is directed to the Public Safety dispatcher indicating the exact location of the box. Public Safety officers will be sent to that location immediately).
• The dispatcher will contact the caller.
• To talk with the dispatcher hold button down.
• Release call button to listen

Information regarding the suspicion of a missing student should be relayed to Public Safety for investigation. All efforts are made to locate the student through on-campus channels and information gathered from identified personal contacts. As necessary, Public Safety will expand its efforts to locate the student working in conjunction with appropriate law enforcement agents.

During all new student and parent orientation sessions, participants are provided a comprehensive overview of the services provided by the Department of Public Safety and C.A.R.E. Specific orientation presentations focus on providing information regarding crimes against the college-age population that include sexual assault and drugs used to commit sexual assault. Additionally, these sessions offer risk reduction techniques to help reduce one’s vulnerability to crime and highlight our campus resources in place to work with any student who may become a victim of a crime. Publications such as Fear Factors 101 and numerous brochures on various issues relevant to the college-age population are available for both parents and students during Orientation programs. Information tables are featured for parents and students, offering a variety of information on safety and resources. Residence hall security information sessions are conducted throughout the semester to provide relevant security procedures and personal safety information to those living within the residence halls and houses. Orientation sessions for all new permanent, adjunct faculty, and employees provides comprehensive information on safety initiatives and resources and information on available intervention and assistance programs during employee orientation sessions.

Specialized events during Welcome Back Week target sexual assault awareness through our Sexual Assault Facts and Emergency Resources (S.A.F.E.R.) campaign that provides information on sexual assault/risk reduction/and resources. During Campus Safety Awareness month a variety of programs are available to include the No Violence-No Victims wristband distribution that highlights awareness of crimes against college students. Topical initiatives at high-risk times (ex., Halloween, Spring Break) are all annual events. The Community Watch newsletter is distributed bi-annually to students living off campus featuring relevant community safety concerns and crime prevention information garnered from local law enforcement sources.

During the year, Public Safety, C.A.R.E., students involved in our nationally-recognized chapter of One in Four Men’s Outreach Against Sexual Violence, Counseling and Substance Abuse Services, Health Education, and Residence Life and Housing offer a variety of programming, training, community-events participation, outreach and public awareness campaign efforts on such topics as criminal sexual conduct, crime awareness, crime prevention and risk reduction techniques relevant to the college-age population. Further, articles in the campus newspaper, topical brochures, classroom presentations, media campaigns, a specialized poster information series and email serve as vehicles to promote our individual and collective role in achieving personal and community safety.

Operating within the downtown City of Charleston limits, this service provides nighttime transportation between the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. to students who find themselves in unsafe situations where transportation is unavailable and they must walk alone to or from a downtown location back to campus or their private residence. There is no charge for any valid SAFERIDE service by a student. To access the service:

• Call 577-6565 and let the dispatcher know you are a C of C student using the SAFERIDE service.
• Give your name, pick-up location and the exact address to where you are going.
• Wait at the pick-up location and watch for a Yellow Cab.
• Show your valid C of C ID to the driver and give him/her your completed SAFERIDE card. If you don’t have a card with you, the driver will ask you to sign your name and provide your Student ID Number (NOT your social security number).
• If you are in a dangerous or emergency situation, call 9-1-1.
• Be accessible. Stay by a phone. The SAFERIDE dispatcher may need to call you if there is a problem or delay.
• Please, if possible, consider a tip for your SAFERIDE driver.

SAFERIDE cards can be picked up at the following locations: Stern Center Information Desk, all residence hall desks, Public Safety and the Library. www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/saferide/

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