SDSU Police Department

Campus Watch

Citizen Participation & Involvement

The Program

University Police needs your eyes and ears in the fight against crime. The Campus Watch Program enlists citizen participation and involvement in a cooperative battle against crime. Through your voluntary participation, you will learn personal protection strategies, how to safeguard your own property against theft and how to assist neighbors when their rooms are unoccupied or otherwise vulnerable to intruders. Campus Watch encourages you to contact University Police on any occasion when you observe suspicious activities.

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Use the Phone

The most effective crime prevention device ever invented is your telephone. Use it to call the University Police at 619-594-1991 to report criminal or suspicious activity. In an emergency, such as a crime in progress, dial 9-1-1. You may remain anonymous if you wish. Emergency/duress phones are positioned throughout the campus near buildings and in parking lots; calls are free of charge and ring directly to Public Safety. Stuck in an elevator? The emergency phone inside rings directly to Public Safety, as well. Use these phones to report anything out of the ordinary such as:

• A stranger loitering in or around the premises.
• Someone “testing” doorknobs as they walk down a hallway.
• Someone wandering about a business office, claiming to be lost or looking for their classroom.
• People carrying expensive property out of a building, especially at unusual hours.
• A person calling or screaming for help.
• A person staggering about, appearing intoxicated, disoriented, or in need of medical attention.
• People involved in fist-fights, exhibiting threatening behavior or verbal abuse.
• Unusual sounds: glass breaking, loud explosion, gunshot, etc.
• Anyone peering into cars, cruising the lots, tampering with cars.
• Burnt-out lights, ineffective locks and security devices or safety hazards.
• Suspicious packages or shopping bags left unattended.

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Security Reminders

It takes 8 seconds for a thief to enter your room and leave with your valuables! Over ninety percent of room and office thefts involve occupants who were “just gone for a few moments.” If confronted by someone, escape at the first opportunity. If they demand your wallet, throw it in one direction, then run away in the opposite direction. If you can’t escape, throw an object through a window and scream “fire” to draw attention.

Follow these safety tips to protect yourself and your valuables:

• Be alert to strangers; don’t open doors to unknown callers.
• Keep doors and windows locked, especially at night.
• Keep drapes drawn when undressing or retiring for the night.
• Leave the bathroom light on all night; it indicates someone is awake.
• Leave the television or radio on if you plan to be away from home; it indicates someone is there. Drawn shades during the day, porch lights on day and night, uncollected newspapers, flyers, or an overflowing mail box, are clues that no one is at home.
• Do not leave notes on your door indicating that you are away.
• Leave a key with a trusted friend; don't attempt to hide it outside.
• Never leave valuables easily visible from the outside; lock them up.
• Do not furnish personal information such as your phone number or address to a stranger.
• Close and lock the door every time you leave your office or home, even if you plan to be away for only a moment.
• Close car windows and lock car doors and the trunk when parking.
• Never admit a stranger into the lobby when entering your residence hall or apartment building.
• Avoid being alone on an elevator with a stranger; stand by the emergency buttons.
• Do not enter if door is ajar or if you suspect intrusion; call the police.
• Hang up immediately on obscene or threatening calls; report to police.

If you have questions or concerns, contact the Crime Prevention Unit at SDSU, or read our brochure, “Campus Watch.” 

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This page last updated May 19, 2011
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