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Safety Tips & Videos

Personal Safety Tips

  • Always lock your vehicle and the doors to your residence.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Stay away from bushes and shrubs in isolated areas where someone could be hiding; be aware of others around you in case you need help.
  • Call campus police to share a description of the person.
  • Carry your keys in your hand with the key you will use next held separately. It will lessen the time needed to open the door. A key also makes a good weapon in case you are attacked.
  • Do not walk alone at night.
  • If you are attacked, yell, if you can. Yelling alone could scare away your attacker. Yell “911” and people will know you are in trouble.
  • If you are attacked, you have the right to defend yourself, even if it means hurting the other person.
  • If you jog or walk for exercise, don’t take the same route everyday. An attacker may observe your pattern for several days before he/she decides to assault you. Tell a friend what route you plan to take in case there is a problem.
  • Keep valuables out of sight.
  • Let others know where you are and with whom. Call your destination before you leave and call back when you have arrived safely. In case something happens to you on your way, this information will be very valuable to the police. Look in the back seat of your car before you enter it.
  • Take a self-defense class. Trust your instincts. If you see someone suspicious, go to the nearest place of safety and call for help.
  • Walking with confidence may deter an attacker.

   
Weather Related Safety Tips

  • The safest place to be during a tornado or severe weather event is on the lowest level, against an interior wall, away from doors and windows.
  • Mobile homes are not safe during tornadoes or other severe winds.
  • If you have access to a sturdy shelter or a vehicle, abandon your mobile home immediately.
  • Go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately, using your seat belt if driving.
  • Do not wait until you see the tornado.    

If you are caught outdoors: 

  • Immediately get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter.
  • If flying debris occurs while you are driving, pull over and park. Now you have the following options as a last resort:
    • Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible.
    • If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, exit your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.
  • Your choice should be driven by your specific circumstances.

ALICE Model and Intruder Options
Jefferson College Campus Police

Public Safety

Living Safer, Living Smarter

The National Crime Prevention Council’s “Living Safer, Being Smarter,”  campaign aspires to inform, educate, and prevent crime for 18- to 24-year-olds as they have first-time encounters with issues such as getting a credit card or renting their first apartment. 

Teachers, community leaders, or service learning facilitators can bring the campaign to their schools and communities by using the Life After High School: Facilitator’s Guide to develop a curriculum for the young adults. The guide can be used in combination with the Life After High School toolkit for high school graduates. 

Watch the "Living Safer, Being Smarter" Campaign video on YouTube.

What is Consent? (Video Includes CC)

Can two-minutes and a smart phone change the way you think about consent? This video, originally created as part of CampusClarity's award-winning online training program Think About It, teaches the concept of consent by considering a series of realistic scenarios in an approachable manner.

Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter Event (Video Includes CC)

This video, produced by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, dramatizes an active shooter incident in the workplace. Its purpose is to educate the public on how to respond during such an incident.

Tips for Surviving an Active Shooter Incident (Video Includes CC)

This is an introduction to ALICE Institute training in response to an active shooter event.

"Faces of Human Trafficking"
The office for Victims of Crime created a video series that includes information about sex and labor trafficking, multidisciplinary approaches to serving victims of human trafficking, effective victim services, victims' legal needs, and voices of survivors. View the videos and fact sheets.