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SAFETY AND SECURITY

The Washington University campus is located in the metropolitan area of St. Louis, where, like in many urban places in the U.S., safety and security is a concern. While the campus is mostly nested in safe communities, some neighborhoods are patchworks of more or less safe places that it becomes hard to tell where the better places to live, stay, and walk are. The campus itself is generally safe, but students have to be aware that it is an open campus and risks of petty theft and other crimes remain.
For emergencies, you can either call 911 (the national U.S. emergency number); or if you are on campus, you can contact the campus police by using the blue light poles.
For non-emergencies or general information, the Washington University Police Department (WUPD) can be reached directly at 314-935-5555.

By taking common sense precautions, you can likely have an incident-free experience during your entire stay. Here are some of these precautions:

  1. Avoid walking around in the dark alone. If you do walk around at night, remain in well-lit areas and be very aware of your surroundings. (WUPD offers free safety whistles.)
  2. Do not carry large sums of cash with you.
  3. Always keep your apartment doors locked; make sure that the main entrance closes behind you. Do not prop open doors.
  4. In public places on and off campus, do not leave valuable items unattended, including laptops, cell phones, i-pods, and textbooks. (WUPD offers a low cost security registration program for computers called Stop Tag.)
  5. When you park a bicycle, always lock it with its frame to a solid object. It is best to use a "Kryptonite" U-Lock which can be lent or purchased from WUPD for $20.
  6. If you own a vehicle, keep valuables and bags away from sight to avoid break-ins. If your car does not have an alarm system, use a club for the steering wheel. WUPD sells clubs for vehicles for $10.

Also note that during your orientation, you will attend a session on safety and security where WUPD will give you a variety of tips and resources. Your well-being is important to us. Please contact the OISS or WUPD, if you have concerns.

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