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Emergency Readiness

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Suspicious Behavior & Personal Safety

The San Mateo County Community College District is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, staff, and community members. In order to maintain public safety, please take steps to ensure your offices, buildings, and belongings are secure. Recommended measures include locking all office doors and windows when leaving a room, keeping valuables in a locked drawer, and securing laptops with a security cable and placing them in a locked drawer when unattended.
 

If you witness suspicious behavior

In the unlikely event that you are involved in or witness suspicious, threatening, or destructive behavior (e.g., assault, robbery, intoxication, disorderly behavior, vandalism, or theft):

  • Avoid unnecessary risks. Do not attempt to talk with or confront the individual yourself
  • Maintain a safe distance from the individual(s). Monitor them from a distance, only if safe to do so 
  • Call 9-911 from campus phones (911 from non-campus phones) and provide the following information:
    • Nature of incident
    • Location of incident
    • Description of person(s) involved
    • Location of person(s) involved
    • Your name, location, department, and phone number 
  • Obtain a description of the suspicious person(s), if personal safety allows 
    • Note height, weight, gender, race, approximate age, appearance, clothing, method and direction of travel, and name, if known. This provides critical information to investigating police officers. 
  • Should the individual(s) leave the scene, take note of their vehicle (car, bicycle, etc), including make and model, color, license plate number, and any outstanding characteristics 
  • Remain where you are (if safe), until a Public Safety or law enforcement officer arrives
  • Do NOT interfere with:
    • Individual(s) commiting the crime or creating the disturbance
    • Law enforcement officers on the scene

Personal Safety Tips

  • Be observant and aware of your surroundings at all times
    • Try to avoid looking down at your phone when walking 
  • Keep a list of emergency numbers with you
  • If you notice any unusual and/or threatening individuals or noises, call the police at 9-911 from District phones (911 from non-campus phones)
  • Secure your valuables (cell phone, purse, wallet, laptops, backpacks, etc)
  • Lock your door and your filing cabinets whenever you leave your office or workspace
  • Keep the door to your room locked when you are working alone
  • Do not let people into a locked building or office unless you work with them, or they have been properly identified
  • Call the police immediately if a suspicious call or person is witnessed. Do not investigate a suspicious person or noise by yourself
  • Always lock your car. Do not leave valuables in plain sight; remove all backpacks, phones, computer cases, gym bags, purses, and all electronic accessories. Remove any mounting devices for electronics or conceal them so they are not visible. A mounting device left in view may be an indicator to the thief that an electronic device is still inside the vehicle
  • Walk with a friend. If you are unaccompanied, you may call the Department of Public Safety at (650) 738-7000, and they will escort you around campus
  • Walk in an alert, confident manner, do not wear earphones, and actively pay attention to your surroundings 
  • Choose the most traveled, well-lit paths when walking
  • Lock your bike and both tires, and remove lights. U-Locks are the most secure type of bicycle lock (cable locks can be cut, but can offer additional security when utilized with a U-Lock).