CAPTAIN'S COMMENTS

The Rice University Police Department (RUPD) is honored to serve the wonderful students, faculty and staff who study, teach, work and live on our campus. We are committed to providing as safe and secure an environment as possible for all members of the Rice community, and
you can help us achieve that goal.

Members of RUPD work extremely hard to ensure that the campus remains an inviting place where people can interact, share ideas and experience personal growth. Our officers strive for the delicate balance between safety and the freedom of individuals to express themselves. RUPD is founded on the principles and philosophy of community policing. We want to create and promote a safe and secure environment through proactive, impartial and innovative programs that benefit the Rice community.

For example, as part of our Campus Watch Program, a group of officers is dedicated to patrolling the residential areas of campus and working with students designated as college officers at each residential college. RUPD also works with the Rice Bicycle Safety Committee to promote safe cycling and awareness of the rules of the road. We also ask the college
officers to encourage and help students to register their bikes with RUPD, which has been critical to our Investigations Division’s success at recovering stolen bikes. RUPD officers can also engrave personal items of value, which is a deterrent and significantly increases the chances of recovering stolen items.

Our expanded Investigations Division led to an increase in solving property crimes, with officers recovering more than $92,500 of stolen property during the 2010–11 academic year.

This year, we will again offer the Citizens’ Police Academy — a great way for community members to better understand RUPD and community policing. Recently we’ve improved our technology by updating in-car camera and computer
systems, allowing officers to instantaneously run vehicle and criminal checks, and we’ve“gone social.” Check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/RicePolice, which provides updates on our efforts to keep the campus safe through messages about particular crime trends, personal safety tips and news.

And please be sure your emergency contact information is current in your Esther account (http://esther.rice.edu) so that you are able to receive urgent information on your phone from RUPD and Rice’s Crisis Management Team.

Even with all of these programs, calls to RUPD from community members to report suspicious behavior are our No. 1 crime-fighting tool. Anytime you witness a crime or observe something suspicious, please call 713-348-6000 right away. That timely communication could help us catch a criminal and prevent other members of our community from being victimized. And don’t forget that cameras on cell phones can capture license plates and other photographic evidence if you can use them without risking your safety.

The partnership between RUPD and the Rice community is our greatest ally in preventing and fighting crime. We look forward to working with each of you over the coming academic year.