Dear Campus Community,
With classes back in session, this is an ideal time to remind everyone of the safety resources that are available and to update you on how we are working to keep our campus safe.
We continue to see a decrease in crime on our campus, with crime rates falling almost 7 percent in 2017. Last year our officers responded to over 82,000 calls for service, which includes but is not limited to responding to calls, initiating traffic stops, conducting building checks across our campus community, responding to vehicle and building lockouts, investigating traffic accidents, and walking escorts. To see the crime trend for the past ten years and the decreasing trend of crime on our campus, please visit http://www.umpd.umd.edu/stats/ucr/ .
Last month, UMPD’s Criminal Investigation Unit charged a person in connection with two Ellicott Dining Hall hate bias related vandalism incidents. We take all incidents of hate bias very seriously, which is reflected in our effort to identity the person responsible. During the investigation, handwriting samples and photos of the graffiti were submitted for forensic analysis, and results of the forensic analysis led us to file charges against the person. To read the full announcement, please visit https://go.umd.edu/umpdpressrelease .
We encourage members of our UMD community to download the UMD Guardian Safety App if you have not already done so. This can serve as a virtual walking escort service, automatically contacting UMPD if you do not arrive at your expected destination. When you register for UMD Guardian as a member of the University of Maryland community, your Smart911 user profile is automatically created. Your profile is kept private and can only be displayed in the event that you make an emergency call or text a tip to UMPD. In the profile, you can provide descriptions and medical information that would help UMPD respond faster to your emergency.
As always, we ask that you register your cell phone with UMD Alerts by visiting https://www.alert.umd.edu/ . You will receive text messages from UMPD in the event of an active emergency.
UMPD is here as a resource for you in keeping our community safe. If you see something of concern, please contact us. Together, we can all keep our community safe.
David B. Mitchell
Chief of Police/ Director of Public Safety
University of Maryland Police Department