Urgent: 617-495-1212 (Longwood 617-432-1212)  |  Business: 617-495-1215

Printer Friendly Page

Crime Prevention Tips

In Your Residence
Out and About
In the Office
In the Car
Protecting Your Property
Harassing Phone Calls

Keep yourself, your residence, your office, and your car safe by incorporating safe behavior into your daily routine.

In Your Residence:

• Always keep your doors and windows locked.
• Let a friend or roommate know where and with whom you’ll be out, and when you will be returning.
• Determine who is outside your door before you open it.
• Never allow anyone you do not know to enter the building.
• Never invite a person whom you have met on the street, in a bar, or in another public place back to your room.
• Lock your door, even if you are just going down the hall for a minute.
• Record serial numbers and keep photos or descriptions of your valuables.

Out and About:

• If you suspect you are being followed, stay away from dimly lit areas and head for a store or building that you know to be open.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable about someone near you, head for a populated area.
• Know the locations of “Blue Light” emergency phones on campus.
• Remain alert and aware at all times. Do not wear headphones.
• Be careful when people stop you for directions or money. Always reply from a distance and never get too close to the car or the person.
• Carry a whistle and be ready to use it. Whistles are available at 1033 Massachusetts Avenue, sixth floor, or at the HUPD substations.
• If you are out after dark, use only well-lit routes.
• Make use of shuttle buses, escort van, and HUCEP.
• Travel in groups when possible.
• Look confident when you walk. Make eye contact with passersby, and keep a firm grip on your property.
• Walk near the curb and avoid passing close to shrubs, dark doorways, and other hiding places.
• Carry your keys in your hand so you can quickly get in your car or home.
• Always carry enough change for a phone call. If you suspect trouble, leave the area immediately.

In the Office:

• Lock unoccupied rooms and offices even if you leave for only a few minutes.
• Lock down computers and typewriters.
• In the office, store money and stamps in a cash box and keep it in a locked cabinet.
• Keep an inventory, including serial numbers, of University and personal property kept in the office.
• Never loan equipment or keys to strangers or unknown workers.
• Request identification and authorization from repairpersons seeking to remove office equipment for any reason.
• Keep and up-to-date record of equipment out for repair or on loan.
• Keep an accurate key-control log and recover keys from staff or students who no longer need them. Report stolen or lost keys to the HUPD.

In the Car:

• Keep windows rolled up and doors locked.
• Keep possessions out of sight (in the trunk).
• Always remove your keys from the vehicle and lock all doors.
• Check around and inside your car BEFORE you get in.
• Make sure your car runs well and has plenty of gas.
• If your car breaks down, tie a white flag to the antenna and wait for help.
• Never pick up strangers and never go with a stranger who offers help. Instead ask them to call for help for you.
• Park in a well-lit area.
• If you park in a University garage, keep your access card in your wallet rather than inside the vehicle.
• If your garage access card is lost or stolen, please call Parking Services immediately at (49)5-3772 for the Cambridge and Allston campuses and (43)2-1111 for the Longwood campus to have the card deactivated and replaced.
• Although it seems courteous to open the doors for others, especially persons carrying groceries or packages, do not open pedestrian or garage doors for strangers.

Protecting Your Property:

• Never leave your purse, wallet, bookbag, laptop or other property unattended even for a moment.
• Never give any credit card, bank, or social security information to anyone over the telephone.
• Memorize all of your PIN numbers, or keep them written somewhere that only you know about.
• Register your laptop and bicycle with the HUPD.
• When locking your bicycle use a steel “U” lock rather than a cable lock. Lock the frame and tire together to a stationary object.

Harassing Phone Calls

• If you receive a call from a stranger, ask who is calling and the number the person is trying to reach. Do not give out your number or name to the caller or any personal information.
• Hang up immediately if a caller does not respond when you answer, if the caller begins to use obscene language. Do not slam the receiver down, yell at the caller, or otherwise indicate that you are annoyed. Just hang up.
• Don’t talk if the same caller phones again. Remember that all the caller wants is an audience. Don’t give the satisfaction of responding.
• Call the HUPD at (49)5-1212 to report annoying or obscene calls, particularly if you are threatened over the phone.