crime prevention

The Campus has three (3) video monitoring cameras located on blue light phones in Eucalyptus Grove/ Grinnell Pathway. The cameras were installed in 1998 because of a high incidence of violent crime in that location.

Download the Campus Video Security
Applications Policy (PDF)

The University of California, Berkeley employs a multifaceted approach to preventing sexual assault. University Health Services has within it several units, each of which offer education and respond to sexual assaults.

• Social Services Health Promotion collaborates with fellow UHS units as well as with other campus organizations to distribute the Policy and Procedures Regarding Rape and Sexual Assault; to provide educational workshops to campus faculty, staff, and students; and to develop and disseminate educational materials relating to the prevention of sexual assault.

TThe University is concerned about the impact of alcohol and other drugs on the health and safety of all members of the campus community. Through the use of new, evidence-based strategies the campus aims to reduce the negative consequences of unsafe and illegal alcohol and drug use.

Any person 18 or older (and who is not otherwise legally prohibited) may purchase and carry a defensive spray California. Pepper spray (oleoresin capsicum) is the most common type of defensive spray, available at many hardware, drug, or general merchandise stores. If you decide to carry a defensive spray, and you are ever in a situation where you must use it against an attacker, after using your spray you should immediately

• get out of the area. Run in the opposite direction of your attacker if possible.

Women can get self-defense training on campus through the CalRAD program, a partnership between Gender Equity Resource Center, Cal Recreational Sports, Office of Student Development, and UCPD. CalRAD's Basic Physical Defense training follows the Rape Aggression Defense Systems model, a realistic approach that begins with tactics such as awareness, risk reduction and risk avoidance, then progresses to the basics of hands-on self-defense techniques. RAD aims to make self-defense a viable consideration for the woman who is attacked. 

How long does it take?

If you have been hit, shoved, or physically harmed in any way, it is a crime. Domestic violence laws apply if the perpetrator is someone with whom you have had a child, is your spouse or domestic partner, or is someone you are dating. Unreasonable jealousy or distrust, verbal abuse, and the destruction of property are all symptoms of domestic violence. If you are experiencing domestic violence, you can take steps to protect yourself and recover.

What support is available?

Harassing or annoying phone calls might include calls made by pranksters randomly or calls made intentionally by people with whom you have been acquainted. They can include calls at hours when you are sleeping; frequent pointless calls; calls where the caller says nothing; or obscene calls.
Harrassing calls may be made with intent to fraud, but may also be made just so the caller can get a reaction from you. Most can be stopped if you use some simple techniques. Your telephone is for your personal use and service. It is under your control and you are not obligated to talk to anyone.

Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. While nothing can guarantee that you won't become a victim of identity theft, you can minimize your risk, and minimize the damage if a problem develops, by making it more difficult for identity thieves to access your personal information.

• Protect your Social Security number.
• Treat your trash and mail carefully.
• Be on guard when using the Internet.

If a laptop is stolen, the loss of control of data could be just as disruptive as the loss of property. UCPD offers these recommendations to prevent laptop thefts, aid in the recovery of lost or stolen laptops, and control access to sensitive data.

Prevent Theft

Most thefts on campus are crimes of opportunity. Laptop theft is 99.9% preventable. Keep your laptop under your control at all times.

• Do not walk away from it, even for “a minute.” If you must sleep while you’re studying in the library, sleep on the laptop!
• Do not leave valuables in common areas.

Evening classes, study, research or work may keep you on campus late at night. UC Berkeley offers these Night Safety Services to get you safely where you need to go after dark. All services are free to the community. All services can be accessed via bearwalk.berkeley.edu.

BearWALK

After dark, and until 6 a.m., you can walk with a CSO -- a uniformed student employee who is trained in non-confrontational safety techniques, and carries a police radio.

Following these valuable safety guidelines to Prevent, Protect & Respond will greatly increase your personal level of safety and can help protect personal and campus property. The campus and its environs are not immune to crime, but your awareness can help to reduce the incidence of crime.

UCPD’s Safety Surveys

Is your residence or office at higher risk of burglary and break-in? Contact UCPD’s Crime Prevention Unit for a Security Survey and an officer will meet with you to identify areas in your home or office that may need security improvement. They can show you how to safeguard your building or office against unlawful entry and theft and advise on how to get involved with the Building Watch program.

UCPD Crime Prevention Unit

(510) 643-8988

City of Berkeley Police

(510) 981-5809 or your local law enforcement agency for this service off campus.

According to campus policy, UCPD maintains control of access to all campus facilities, monitors the issuance of keys and administers alarm systems. It is important to understand, however, that the Berkeley campus is generally open to the public. Theft is the most common crime on the Berkeley campus. Over $100,000 worth of University property and equipment is stolen annually from the Berkeley campus. Wallet, purse, laptop and backpack theft make up a large percentage of personal property theft.