Know your campus safety resources
By Kendall Sternberg, University Marketing and Communications
UAPD works with faculty, staff and students to foster connections and support a safe and welcoming campus community.
You don't want the first time you look for a campus safety resource to be at the moment you need it. With the new academic year underway, it’s a good time to refresh your knowledge of what tools are available and where to find them. From emergency notifications to safe transportation options to training opportunities for your team, the university offers resources that can help you stay prepared and connect students with support when they need it.
Here’s a rundown of some of the resources available to you — and ways your department or team can get involved.
Safety resources at your fingertips
The SafeCats app, available for Apple and Android phones, has regularly updated and improved features based on campus feedback.
A good place to start is the university’s UAlert system, which delivers notifications by email and text to employees, students and members of the university community during emergencies. The information can also be delivered through push notifications on the SafeCats app, which brings many of the university’s safety resources together in one place. After downloading the app, take a few minutes to explore its features so you know what’s available when you need it.
SafeCats includes several features to help you stay connected and prepared:
Friend Walk: Share your location with a friend as you travel to your destination.
WorkAlone: Alert a designated contact if you do not check in while working or studying alone.
Social Escape: Use a discreet tool to help you leave an uncomfortable social situation.
Mobile BlueLight: Place an emergency call while sharing your location with responders.
Campus maps: Access maps to navigate campus and locate safety resources.
Blue Light phone locations: Find emergency Blue Light phones around campus.
Transportation information: Find campus transportation options and resources.
Emergency guides: Find guidance for responding to different emergency situations.
Reporting tools: Report safety issues, including the option to send concerns to the Threat Assessment and Management Team.
Know what to do before an emergency
Take time to review the building emergency plan for the locations where you work or spend time. These plans include evacuation routes and shelter-in-place procedures and outline how to respond during an emergency.
Additional safety measures, including security cameras at certain bike rack locations, have been implemented to help deter bike theft on campus.
Emergency Management’s In Case of Emergency page provides guidance for situations including active threats, severe weather, fires, hazardous materials incidents, medical emergencies and utility emergencies. An EDGE Learning training provides an overview of how to locate and use building emergency plans.
Throughout campus, Blue Light phones provide direct access to UAPD. The phones are located across campus and in parking garages and can be used for accidents, medical emergencies or to report suspicious activity. A full map of the Blue Light phones can be seen on the health and safety layer of the University of Arizona Main Campus Interactive Map.
For nighttime and emergency transportation needs, transportation resources are available to students, faculty and staff.
Employees and students who bring a bike to campus should use a quality lock to properly secure it to a bike rack and register it with Parking and Transportation Services.
Learn with your team
Safety resources aren’t limited to webpages and apps. Departments and campus groups can bring training and education directly to their teams.
During Safety Strolls, groups spend an hour walking with public safety leaders, exploring resources and discussing the areas of campus that matter to them. Strolls can cover topics including SafeCats, SafeRide, Blue Light phones, parking garage safety and classroom safety. Each stroll can be designed to fit the needs of your team.
UAPD also offers safety presentations for groups of five or more, covering personal safety, theft prevention, robbery prevention, active shooter response and building safety. Departments can also request a building safety survey or personalized presentation.
The Threat Assessment and Management Team offers self-paced and facilitated trainings covering warning behaviors associated with targeted violence, conflict resolution and de-escalation. Departments, classes and organizations can request customized group trainings. Also remember to stay up to date on your Active Shooter Preparedness Training, which all employees are required to take annually.
The UAPD Community Academy and Campus Safety Ambassador programs offer one more way to build a culture of safety on campus.
Stay connected and get involved
Faculty and staff interested in learning more about campus safety can join the notification list for the UAPD Community Academy, which begins in Februrary and offers a free series of classes focused on UAPD operations and public safety. The program gives participants an opportunity to learn from UAPD personnel while sharing feedback and ideas about campus safety. Students can get involved through the Campus Safety Ambassador program, which offers opportunities to promote safety awareness and connect with campus partners through monthly meetings and learning sessions.
Whether you download SafeCats, review your building’s emergency plan, participate in a Safety Stroll or bring a training to your team, taking a few minutes now to prepare can make it easier to know what to do when you or someone else needs assistance.
For more campus safety resources, visit the university’s campus safety website. For questions or more information, email publicsafety@arizona.edu.