Crime Prevention

Roger Williams University continually promotes and sponsors programs designed to educate students and staff regarding campus crime prevention and safety. These programs encourage personal safety first and emphasize interaction and communication to enhance the Department of Public Safety’s community policing approach to campus safety.

  • The University has established a Safety Committee to assist in reviewing, recommending and implementing policies, procedures and practices to promote campus safety. The committee reviews such things as lighting surveys and occupational safety hazards.
  • During summer orientation, students and family members meet with the Director of Public Safety who discusses safety resources, including downloading the Rave Guardian application.
  • Residential and commuter students are provided "safety checklists" annually, containing material advising them of precautions to help avoid becoming a victim of a crime on or off campus.
  • During Welcome Week, first year students attend Health and Safety training sessions conducted by Public Safety, Health Services, Title IX, Environmental Health and Safety, Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, and Alcohol and Other Drug Education.
  • Emergency evacuation training, including active intruder training, is completed for first year students and made available for returning students and all employees.
  • Staff and faculty members are provided with public safety information at new employee orientation, held once monthly.
  • Crime prevention information and personal safety programs are presented throughout the year as a means to promote an overall and ongoing public safety awareness campaign.
  • The RWU Crime Prevention tipline is (401) 254-3212 and the email is crimeprevention@ctienviron.com.

Report Suspicious Activity

Roger Williams University strongly encourages the prompt and accurate reporting of all criminal activity, suspicious behavior or emergencies occurring on RWU property by calling the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at (401) 254-3333 (emergency) or (401) 254-3611 (non-emergency) or in person, by visiting the DPS office in North Campus (building to the right of the Parking Garage in Lot A). Reporting crimes aids DPS in providing prompt response, mitigate future criminal activity to persons/property and issuing timely warning notices to the community if imminent or ongoing threat continues. It should be noted that when using a cell phone to call the DPS, callers should dial (401) 254-3333, as dialing 911 directly will route them to an outside police agency. If you should be routed to an outside police department, you need to advise them of your specific location at RWU so that they may dispatch that information to the DPS.
 
There are emergency telephone locations throughout the campus designated by blue lights for easy identification at night. Simply press the button to activate. They are directly connected to the DPS Dispatch Center, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The location of the activated telephone is automatically identified to the DPS Dispatch Officer. When calling, provide the Dispatch

  • Your identity
  • Is medical attention needed
  • What is the nature of your call
  • When the event occurred

The DPS responds to all reports of criminal activity or suspicious behavior occurring on its campus. In response to a report, the DPS will dispatch an officer to initiate an incident report. A Shift Commander reviews the report and makes a recommendation for follow up investigation if deemed necessary. DPS incident reports along with follow up information obtained through the investigation are forwarded to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution for potential disciplinary action, as appropriate. Crimes or other incidents that violate university policy can be reported by using the following procedures:

  • Call Public Safety at (401) 254-3333 (emergency) or (401) 254-3611 (non-emergency) or in person, by visiting the DPS office in North Campus (building to the right of the Parking Garage in Lot A).
  • Confidential and/or anonymous reporting form located on the RWU website 
  • Rave Guardian is a campus safety app available at the University that turns your smart phone into a personal safety device. The free app, available for both iPhone and Android smartphones, allows users to check in with family, friends, Public Safety or others you trust to help you stay safe. You can use the app to set a safety timer, create and message your guardians or initiate emergency help requests at the push of a button. Rave Guardian can be used to send an anonymous tip to Public Safety if you see something on campus that looks out of place or dangerous. Find complete details and download instructions at the Rave Guardian resource webpage.
  • Crime Prevention Tipline/Email: (401)  254-3212 crimeprevention@ctienviron.com

CAMPUS SECURITY AUTHORITIES

Because official responsibilities and job titles vary significantly on campus, a list of specific titles of individuals or organizations who are campus security authorities (CSA) is not provided in RWU policy. To determine specifically which individuals or organizations are CSAs, RWU, in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Act, considers the function of the individual or office. CSAs include Officials (i.e. not support staff) whose functions involve relationships with students.  If someone has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, then they are a CSA.

Campus Security Authorities

The following are defined by the Jeanne Clery Act as Campus Security Authorities

  • Department of Public Safety
  • Individuals with Campus Security Responsibility — Any individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department, such as an individual who is responsible for monitoring entrance into institutional property. Examples of this category are: parking enforcement staff, event security staff and patrol staff.
  • Individuals Designated by the Campus — Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as one to which students and employees should report criminal offenses. Examples include: President, Provost, Director of Human Resources, Assistant Vice President of Student Life, DPS and the Department of Residence Life and Housing.
  • Officials with Significant Responsibility for Student and Campus Activities — An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus conduct proceedings. Examples of this category are: Dean of Students, Department of Residence Life and Housing Staff, Students who serve as Student Conduct Officials, Officials who oversee student extracurricular activities, Director of Athletics, Team Coaches, Faculty Advisors to student groups and Department of Student Programs and Leadership staff.


It is important to note that to protect the victim and the University community from imminent harm, information received from a complainant by the DPS or any other CSA regarding Title IX related incidents will be forwarded to the Title IX Coordinator or their designee along with the identity of the victim and/or offender if known. If a student has reported an incident to a responsible employee, but wishes to maintain confidentiality or requests that no investigation into a particular incident be conducted or disciplinary action taken, then RWU will weigh this request against its obligation to provide a safe environment for all students. A student should be aware that if RWU decides to honor a request for confidentiality, RWU’s ability to meaningfully investigate the incident and pursue disciplinary action against the alleged offender will be limited. In addition, when deemed necessary to protect the interests of the community, RWU may not be able to honor a student’s request for confidentiality made to a responsible employee. Non-personally identifiable statistics from confidential reports are included in the University’s Annual Security Report.
 
Policy Addressing Pastoral and Professional Counselors: The negotiated rulemaking process which followed the signing into law of the 1998 amendments to 20 USC Section 1092 (f), resulted in clarification regarding those considered to be CSAs. Professional counselors on campus are not considered CSAs and are not required to report crimes for the inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics. As a matter of policy, the professional counselors at RWU are encouraged to inform persons being counseled of the procedures to report Clery crimes on a voluntary basis for inclusion into the annual crime statistics. A voluntary procedure is in place to anonymously capture crime statistics disclosed confidentially to Pastoral and Professional Counselors (all clinical staff) as well as to a physician, nurse, or nurse practitioner at Health Services.

  • Pastoral Counselor: An employee of an Institution who is associated with a religious order or denomination recognized by that religious order or denomination as someone who provides confidential counseling and who functions within the scope of that recognition as a pastoral counselor.
  • Professional Counselor: An employee of an Institution whose official responsibilities includes providing psychological counseling to members of the community and who also functions within the scope of their license or certification.

Resources

To register property:

  • Download the Property Registration Form to your computer.
  • right-click on the link and select "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As..."
  • Save the file as your University e-mail address + Form. ex: jsmith123form1.doc
  • Fill out the form and save.  
  • E-mail the form as an attachment to the following address: CrimePrevention@ctienviron.com

Note: If you are registering more than three (3) items, you can submit the form again with the extra items. ex: jsmith123form2.doc

Property Registration Form

Staying Safe

Protect Yourself in the Residence Halls
  • Always lock your door, even when you intend to return shortly or you are just going down the hall. It takes a thief seconds to enter an open room and steal your property.
  • Lock or secure doors and windows when you are alone or asleep.
  • Do not prop open outer doors.
  • Do not allow strangers to enter premises.
  • If someone asks to use your cell phone for an emergency call, offer to make the call for them instead of allowing them access.
  • Save emergency numbers in your cell phone.
  • Do not leave messages on your door indicating you are away and/or when you will return.
  • Do not put your address on your key ring.
  • Do not leave keys in hiding places. Thieves will find them.
  • On campus, call Public Safety (401) 254-3333 to report suspicious activity.
  • Off campus, call 911. Immediately give the dispatcher your location. Then give the nature of the emergency. If possible, stay on the line until help arrives or the dispatcher terminates the call.
  • Keep automatic teller machine (ATM) cards in a safe place. Never reveal your personal identification number to anybody, particularly anyone who purports to be a bank employee conducting a security survey. Never loan your ATM card to anyone. When possible, only use ATMs during the day. If you need to bank at night, use a machine in a well-lighted area, such as a shopping mall or supermarket.
Protect Yourself When Walking
  • Avoid walking alone at night unless absolutely necessary.
  • Walk in well lit, commonly traveled routes. Avoid shortcuts and dark, isolated areas.
  • If you feel threatened, cross the street, enter a business establishment, or otherwise seek the safety of having other persons around you. Trust your instincts: if someone or something makes you uneasy, you are probably correct.
  • Walk purposefully; know where you are going.
  • Constantly maintain awareness of your surroundings. Avoid potentially dangerous situations.
  • Have your door keys ready; carry them in your hand or pocket.
  • Avoid giving directions to persons in motor vehicles. If you feel you must, do not approach the vehicle closely. Speak from a distance and be prepared to flee in the opposite direction if necessary.
  • Public Safety provides on-campus courtesy transports

Phishing is a high-tech variation of an old scam that tricks people into providing a malicious person with information such as their social security number, credit card numbers, passwords, or bank account information.

Tips for a “Spoof-Proof Life”
  • Be suspicious of emails that don’t greet you by name.
  • Don’t reply to email, texts or pop-up messages asking for personal or financial information.
  • Don’t send personal or financial information via email.
  • Don’t open attachments from unknown senders.
  • Look for “http:” in the URLs of sites when you are shopping online. The “s” stands for “secure”.
  • If you see a “@” symbol, it is probably a phishing site.
  • Maintain up-to-date firewalls and security patches on your computer.
  • Review credit card and bank statements to check for unauthorized charges.
  • Forward phishing emails to spam
  • If your information is compromised, get a fraud alert placed on your credit report and visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website.
Preventing Crime

While the Department of Public Safety is responsible for ensuring that our campus is as safe as possible, the primary responsibility for crime prevention and personal safety rests with each individual.

Voice Your Concerns About Crime and Potential Safety Problems

Do not wait until crimes occur or problems get out of control. Contact Public Safety to report problems or suspicious activity (401) 254-3333.

Report Crimes and Provide Information about Crimes and Suspicious Activities

While on campus, call Public Safety at (401) 254-3333 to report ANY suspicious activity or criminal incidents. To report criminal incidents off campus, call 911. Accurate and timely reports of emergencies or suspicious incidents will assist Public Safety and or the Police in a quick and effective response.
When you call, please remain calm and speak clearly. Stay on the phone until the police dispatcher has all the information needed.

Report Other Problems and Incidents

The Roger Williams University Department of Public Safety will assist with all problems brought to its attention and will help address the problem with the appropriate University department or government agency.

Seek Help with Personal Concerns

If you or someone else has a personal problem you need support with, we encourage you to seek help before the problem causes further difficulties. The Counseling Center is a good place to start and can be contacted at (401) 254-3124 or contact the on call Coordinator through Public Safety after hours at (401)-254-3333.