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• Keeping the campus safe is a community effort. Please remain observant and report any suspicious activity you may see to Public Safety. Remember, you can anonymously report any non-emergency by calling the Crime Action Line (843) 953-4998 or by filling out a Silent Witness form on our website. 
• Do you have concerns about a student’s possible substance abuse, mental health, or worrisome/disruptive behavior?  FAST is an online reporting tool available to facilitate reporting concerns about students so that specialized College staff may better provide help to students who are having academic, financial, or personal problems that will keep them from succeeding at the College.  To make a referral using the FAST reporting system, please click here. Please be aware that the FAST system is not an emergency hotline. For an on-campus emergency, please call Public Safety. 
• If you have not already done so, please review our Guide to Safer Living, which provides an excellent overview of safety and security at the College of Charleston. If you have any questions as you acquaint yourself to campus, please contact me at Public Safety or visit Public Safety’s web page. 
• You may have noticed signs around campus highlighting Public Safety’s “See Something, Say Something” initiative. This is a national campaign that raises public awareness of the importance of reporting suspicious activity to local law enforcement. We all play a role in keeping the campus safe. For more information on identifying and reporting suspicious activity, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
• Be social with us! If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for departmental news, upcoming events, and other important information.  If you are having trouble accessing our pages, please make sure you are signed into your social media account.

Good Morning Campus Community,

With the academic year in full swing, the campus is alive once again. A warm welcome to all of our students, faculty, and staff who are new to campus, or are returning after a summer hiatus. As we kick-off the fall semester, here are a few things to pass along from Public Safety:

• Most of you have probably seen information sent from Public Safety titled, “Timely Warning.” What exactly are these notifications and how are they different from a Cougar Alert?
•      Timely Warning – Narrow focus on Clery crimes. Timely warnings are triggered by crimes that have already occurred but represent an ongoing threat. A Timely Warning is issued for any Clery crime committed within the Clery geography that is reported to campus security authorities or a local law enforcement agency and is considered by the institution to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees. Warnings are issued as soon as the pertinent information is available.
•      Cougar Alert – Wide focus on any significant emergency or dangerous situation (may include Clery crimes). An emergency notification is triggered by an event that is currently occurring on or imminently threatening the campus. Emergency notification procedures are initiated for any significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on the campus.
• Bicyclists and skateboarders, please take a moment to review the bicycle and skateboard laws. Public Safety Officers will be issuing citations to bicyclists and skateboarders violating the City of Charleston’s bicycle and skateboard regulations. This includes: riding on a sidewalk, traveling the wrong way down a one way street, disregarding traffic control devices, etc. As a reminder, bicyclists and skateboarders should ride with the flow of traffic, and follow all traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles. A copy of the Skateboard Ordinance and bicycle guidelines can be picked up at Public Safety Headquarters. If you would like additional information, feel free to contact me.

• Across the country, September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month.  During this month, Public Safety, along with many departments at the College, will be hosting events to promote campus safety. During these events, students, staff, and faculty will have the opportunity to meet and interact with the great men and women who help serve and protect our campus community. There will be prizes, giveaways, and food at almost all of the events. Our calendar for National Campus Safety Awareness Month will be advertised all over campus and will be posted on the department’s social media pages. On behalf of all of us from Department of Public Safety we welcome everyone back to the College of Charleston and we look forward to seeing you at the many great events coming up this September.

• With the increased activity on campus, many of you may be on campus more frequently, or traveling to and from campus buildings later than usual. In your travels, please consider the following risk reduction strategies:
  • Avoid walking alone; it is best to walk in pairs or with a group.
  • Always be aware of your surroundings. Listening to music through headphones or looking down at a cell phone can impede your ability to be alert.
  • Walk on well-lit paths in heavily traveled routes. Using dark and isolated areas make you a more vulnerable target. Please take a moment to review our campus night map.
  • Use your resources! Public Safety provides safety escorts on campus 24/7. In addition, the Cougar Shuttle is available 7 days a week from 11pm-3am.

• Be social with us! If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagramfor departmental news, upcoming events, and other important information.  If you are having trouble accessing our pages, please make sure you are signed in to your social media account.

Crime Prevention Tip:

If you are carrying a shoulder bag, place the strap(s) diagonally across your body, as opposed to carrying it on one shoulder. This keeps the purse in front of you, instead of at your side or behind you, which sometimes happens with purses with long straps. If you are carrying a hand bag, then make sure to hold it close to the front of your body, instead of holding it on your wrist or loosely in your hand.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Take Care and Be Safe,

Good Morning Campus Community,

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Spring Break. Here are a few things to pass along from Public Safety:

• You may have noticed signs around campus highlighting Public Safety’s “See Something, Say Something” initiative. This is a national campaign that raises public awareness of the importance of reporting suspicious activity to local law enforcement. We all play a role in keeping the campus safe. For more information on identifying and reporting suspicious activity, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
• Recently, there has been an increase in motor vehicle thefts and thefts from motor vehicles in the Charleston area. Please take necessary precautions to protect your personal property. Never leave the vehicle running while unattended. Be sure to park in well-lit areas and avoid leaving valuable property inside your vehicle. Most importantly, always lock your vehicle. Trends in auto thefts indicate that over half of vehicles stolen are left unlocked at the time of theft. More information can be found here.
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has new materials to support our campus‘ 2018 campaign. The NSVRC provides information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence, works with the media to promote informed reporting, and leads the SAAM campaign in April to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. Teal is the official color of SAAM, and the teal ribbon is the symbol of sexual violence prevention. This year SAAM is celebrating its 17th anniversary with the theme “Embrace Your Voice” to inform individuals on how they can use their words to promote safety, respect, and equality to stop sexual violence.

• The Department of Public Safety will be offering training on how to respond if you are encountered with an active shooter. This 45 minute presentation will cover: the definition of an active shooter; statistical realities behind active shooter incidents; how to identify concerning or suspicious behavior; reporting methods; main options for civilian self-defense; and what to do when law enforcement arrives on scene. This training is open to all students, faculty, and staff.

Active Shooter Spring 2018

 

Wednesday April 4th – Stern Center room 409 @ 10 am and 2 pm
Thursday April 5th – Stern Center room 409 @ 10 am and 2 pm

 

Crime Prevention Tip:

Use good judgment and maintain awareness of your surroundings when attending social events. If at any point, you or a friend feels disoriented or unusually intoxicated from what you have consumed, leave the bar or party immediately. Get medical help if necessary. Read the Good Samaritan/Medical Amnesty policy here.This policy grants conditional amnesty from any student conduct action to students needing help or requesting medical assistance on another student’s behalf for an alcohol or drug problem.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Take Care and Be Safe,

Robert S. Reese, M.S.M.

Chief of Police

Office of the President

College of Charleston

Campus Safety and Security Area

89 St. Philip Street

Charleston, SC 29424

843-953-2468 (office)

843-953-2105 (fax)

Email: reeser@cofc.edu

• You may have noticed signs around campus highlighting Public Safety’s “See Something, Say Something” initiative. This is a national campaign that raises public awareness of the importance of reporting suspicious activity to local law enforcement. We all play a role in keeping the campus safe. For more information on identifying and reporting suspicious activity, please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

• For those who use mail services on campus, please familiarize yourself with what items can and cannot be sent through the mail. For safety reasons, there are certain items that may not be shipped through the mail. To find out more information on shipping restrictions, please visit the US Postal Service’s website.

• With the recent assaults near campus, now is an excellent time to review some vital safety information for those commuting on or near the College of Charleston campus. The College of Charleston has several resources to help students, faculty, and staff travel safely around campus. As a reminder, the Department of Public Safety is available 24/7 to provide safety escorts to all students, faculty, and staff. The Cougar Shuttle is available for off-campus transportation on the downtown peninsula seven nights a week from 11:00 P.M. – 3:00 A.M., during the fall and spring semesters. For more resources and safety tips, please click here.