Crime Prevention

Working with the campus community, The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Police Department seeks to maintain a safe campus.  UMHB, like any other community will always have the potential to feel the effects of criminal activity.   As a result, the University has put a number of safe guards in place to reduce or remove the threat of criminal activity.  To make the campus even safer, we need your help.  The following crime prevention tips will help equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to protect yourself, your property and your friends.

Working together, ou goal is to limit vulnerabilities and enhance resistance to criminal attack.  To accomplish this goal you will need to:

• Know when a threat is present and what factors contribute to the creation of the threat.
• Know how to remove or reduce the risk of becoming a potential victim.  Our goal is to deny the would-be criminal the opportunity to commit a crime.
• Know how to make the commission of a crime so difficult for the criminal that the risk of getting caught, is not worth the fruits of the crime.

We are convinced that it is easier and safer for the UMHB Community to prevent a crime than it is to apprehend the criminal following a criminal incident.  When a crime is prevented, there is no victim and when a crime is prevented, the community is safer.

Our community oriented policing philosophy is a proactive approach that requires an informed and involved community.   We believe an informed community can better protect itself and help in the prevention of crime.  Within our virtual headquarters, you will find information about crimes occurring on campus on our "police blotter" page.  We encourage you to review this information periodically so that you can take appropriate action to protect yourself and your property.

Throughout the year, the campus police take every opportunity to speak on personal safety, crime prevention and crime reporting. UMHB officers will make presentations in residence halls, during Crusader Connection, during Welcome Week, at informal meetings concerned with women's issues, and campus wide Safety fairs.  In addition, a number of programs are offered to UMHB students, faculty, staff, and campus organizations.  To obtain further information on any of the following programs or in response to any other questions, contact your UMHB Police Department at (254) 295-4587.

Personal Safety Program

This program focuses its attention on "crimes against persons"  and emphasizes personal safety. In this seminar participants will learn how to reduce their chance of victimizations from sexual assault, robbery, including ATM robberies, and carjackings. Information is presented on how to prevent or reduce the possibility of being a victim; what can be done if confronted; and candid information on how to avoid confrontations.

Security Surveys

A trained crime prevention officer will survey your UMHB building, office, or residence and help you identify vulnerable areas which may make your location a target for burglars. The crime prevention officer will provide information on what steps you can take to reduce these risks. A survey generally takes 20 minutes for a small workspace and up to one hour for an overall building assessment.

Operation Identification

"Operation Identification" is a nationally recognized personal property identification program to deter theft and aid in recovery. In this program you identify your personal property by engraving your drivers license number on the item your property and keeping a record of each item, including a description and serial number. For unusual or high value items such as jewelry, valuable artwork, special equipment, etc., it is advisable to take video or pictures. You can borrow an engraver from the UMHB Police Department.

Personal property should be inscribed with the owner's driver license number and state identifier (i.e. TX12345678). University property should also be marked with a "UMHB" inventory tag.

Specialized Programs

The UMHB Police Department has numerous special safety and crime reduction programs for specific department/offices such as: Robbery Prevention for departments that handle money - Staff are trained on how to reduce the potential of being robbed, how to react during a robbery, and what to do after a robbery.

Office thefts and how to prevent them from occurring - Examples of incidents are provided along with tips on how to harden the target and reduce the potential for thefts from the workplace.

Bomb threats and suspicious packages and letters - Instruction is provided on what questions to ask when you receive a telephone bomb threat and what information law enforcement will need when they respond to the call. Personnel are also taught how to identify suspicious packages and letters and what to do when they discover a suspicious package or letter in the mail.

Violence on campus information is given on how to respond to violent situations occuring on campus. Emphasis wil be placed on prevention and personal protection strategies.

Asset Protection Program

Security awareness programs are developed to help administrators and facilities managers identify potential theft hazards and implement procedures designed to increase the security for department property and facilities.

Each of these programs usually lasts approximately 30 to 45 minutes.