personal safety

If you are concerned about the well-being of any residential student or have reason to believe that a student might be missing, you should contact UCPD immediately. UCPD works closely with the Residential Student Service Programs (RSSP), International House, and the Berkeley Student Cooperative housing authorities and will begin its investigation immediately if a resident is suspected to be missing. Students living in any of these residential facilities may designate a contact person to be notified in case the student is determined to be missing.

It is important that you seek help immediately. The campus has provided a number of ways for you to get assistance, and you can choose the ones with which you feel most comfortable. Any of these offices will be sure to see you get the appropriate care, counseling and advice.

Immediate assistance In case of sexual assault

UC Police Department
1 Sproul Hall (510) 642-6760

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.

Each community member shares the responsibility of fulfilling this Campus commitment to a safe environment.

University’s policy statement

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?

(Reference §422.55 of the California Penal Code.)

• Try to use the ATM during daylight hours.
• If you have to get cash at night, go with someone else and only use machines that are well-lit and visible from a major street.
• Look for suspicious people or activity.
• If you notice anything out of the ordinary, even if you have already started a transaction, cancel your transaction and leave.
• When entering your PIN (your secret personal identification number), shield the keypad.
• Always take any receipts and statements.
• Do not count or display money at the ATM.

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.

Why Report?

If you are a victim of a crime, witness a criminal incident, or if you become aware of a potential threat on campus, you should inform UCPD immediately. Prompt reporting is an integral part of crime prevention and will help the police address the issue quickly, and reduce the risk of further harm.

Additionally, when you make your report, you assist UCPD in maintaining accurate records of the incidence of crime on campus, direct our resources where they will be most effective, and work better to keep the campus safe.

About Jurisdiction

UCPD’s CSO Program employs a diverse group of students who strengthen UCPD’s outreach to the campus community and help to deter crime by providing vital safety services, including: BearWALK walking escort at night; and high-visibility, uniformed evening patrol of campus areas that include, but are not limited to, the student residential facilities, the central campus, and the Berkeley hills east of the campus.
Newly hired CSOs have several training shifts in order to learn the required police codes, campus geography, and proven techniques for safety when walking with others at night.

9-1-1 is always the number to dial from any phone in an emergency. From any landline phone on campus property, including a pay phone, 9-1-1 will connect immediately to UCPD emergency assistance and will identify the caller’s location. From a cell phone on or near campus, dial (510) 642-3333 for a direct emergency connection to UCPD dispatch.

See more about Emergency and Non-Emergency reporting.