We need community members to actively assist us in maintaining a safe and secure campus for all students, faculty, and staff. To do this we suggest the following:
Voice concerns about crime and disorder problems.
Don’t wait until crimes occur or problems get out of control. Raise your concerns to an officer.
Report and provide information about crimes and suspicious activities.
We need you to serve as our eyes and ears. You are in a better position to identify behavior and activities that are out of the ordinary in your residence or workplace. A quick and effective response by HUPD officers is greatly assisted by accurate and timely reports of emergency or suspicious incidents. Crime prevention includes calling the HUPD when you observe suspicious activity, calling if you are the victim of or become aware of a criminal incident, and informing the Department of potential public safety issues. If the HUPD is not made aware of an incident we cannot provide assistance to those in need or work to prevent it from occurring again.
Community members can report criminal or suspicious activity anonymously either by calling a twenty-four hour automated voice mail system at 617-496-2700 or by reporting online.
Report other problems and incidents.
The HUPD is not responsible for dealing with all problems brought to its attention but can address the problem with the appropriate University department or government agency.
Get help with personal problems.
If you have a personal problem or are aware of someone with a personal problem that you cannot handle by yourself, you should seek help before the problem gets out of hand and causes further difficulties.
Employ crime prevention measures for personal and property safety.
It is important for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to remember that we are located in an open and densely populated setting. Therefore, we share many of the crime and safety issues that exist in any city. You should take precautions to protect your property by never leaving it unattended in public and by locking your room or office when you leave it even for a moment. While traveling throughout campus, you should be aware of your surroundings, walk with others on well-lit streets, and use the shuttle bus, escort van, or HUCEP.
Please visit Your Role in Staying Safe.
Know about crime and disorder on and near campus.
A first step in addressing and solving crime and disorder problems is to become informed about the kind, frequencies, and locations of such incidents. On average, the HUPD reports approximately 700 serious crimes to the FBI each year. Of those crimes, 95% are property crimes. Violent crimes do occur, but they are relatively rare. Most of our thefts are of unattended property or from unlocked rooms or offices.
Please review our crime statistics and read our daily log.
Work with the HUPD to address and solve problems.
We are only as effective as the relationships and partnerships we form with the community. When we work together with the community we are in a better position to develop long-term solutions to problems by addressing the root causes of a problem rather than just responding to it as an isolated incident.
Comment on HUPD personnel performance.
You can provide a useful service by providing comments, favorable as well as unfavorable, on the performance of HUPD personnel. The HUPD’s relationship with the community is vital to achieve our mission. All community members should expect to be treated in a courteous and professional manner by members of the Department. Occasionally questions arise regarding professional conduct. The HUPD does not tolerate employees who act unprofessionally or rudely, or who do not seek to provide an appropriate level of service.
The quality of our service is enhanced by feedback from the community, and the Department has an extensive process in place to respond to citizen complaints. We also wish to recognize instances where our employees have been especially helpful or have exceeded your expectations in the service that they have provided.
For more information or to commend or complain against an officer please visit Professional Conduct.