Alerts & Bulletins

SCU Campus Alert Bulletin

Situations and incidents that pose a threat to the general campus community are quickly brought to the attention of the campus community through SCU Campus Safety Alert Bulletins. The process entails physically posting bulletins in residential hall & general bulletin boards in academic buildings.

                        4-21-2008
                  1-14-2008
                 10-19-2007
                  9-14-2007
                  1-16-2007
                  7-23-2006
                  4-26-2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-21-2008

CAMPUS ADVISORY: Bicycle Theft

Bicycle thieves continue to target our campus community. The reports of thefts are coming from all over campus and entail the cutting of cable and chain bike locks in 90% of the cases. Even "heavy-duty" cables of up to a ½ inch thickness can be defeated with bolt cutters. Campus Safety recommends the following actions to help thwart this crime:

Use case hardened "U" locks to secure the bike to a designated bike rack.

Do not lock the bike to handrails, light poles or trees.

Immediately report any suspicious person(s) loitering around campus bike racks.

Campus Safety Services can be reached at (408) 554-4444; call the Santa Clara Police Department at (408) 615-5580, or dial 911 from any telephone on campus.

Campus Safety Services
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1-14-2008

At approx 3:00 AM on Sunday morning January 13th, a male SCU student residing in St Clare Hall was walking on The Alameda just north of Benton St when he was approached by a male subject who had been walking in front of him along the west side of the street.

The suspect demanded the victim give him what he had; and fearing for his safety, the victim provided the suspect his iPod and headphones. Afterwards the suspect turned and walked away.

The Suspect was described as a Hispanic male, approx 20-25 yrs old, 5'08" tall, with a closely shaved head. He was wearing an orange t-shirt. No further description was provided.

An individual closely matching this description was seen a few minutes earlier at the 7-11 Store at Benton & The Alameda. The clerk described him as being a Hispanic male, 5-02 tall, shaved head, wearing a red T-shirt and white pants.

The Santa Clara Police Department is investigating this incident. For further information, contact their Public Information Officer at 408 615-4700

Members of the University Community are reminded to use caution when walking alone late at night in areas surrounding the campus. When possible, travel in pairs. Students and members of the University community can request an escort from Campus Safety officers when traveling between the main campus and off-site residence halls such as St. Clare and Bellarmine during night time hours.

This information is provided pursuant to the provisions of the C.L.E.R.Y Act.

Charles Arolla

Campus Safety Services
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10-19-2007

CAMPUS ADVISORY: Bicycle Thefts on SCU Campus

Since October 1st, there have been ten reported bicycle thefts from locations all over campus. The thieves are apparently “casing” bike racks, then cutting cable and chain locks, taking the cables/locks along with the bicycles when leaving the area. The SCU Community should be aware of this crime and immediately report any suspicious persons and/or activity to Campus Safety Services at 554-4444 or the Santa Clara Police Department at 615-8850.

Some of the actions bicycle owners can take to help prevent these thefts are:

Use a heavy-duty cable and padlock. Cables less than ¼ inch in diameter are easily defeated;
Better still, use a rigid U-type lock which cannot be defeated with bolt cutters…such as a Kryptonite or similar brand
Don’t leave your bicycle in racks for extended time periods without checking on it;
Report suspicious persons loitering around bike racks, or walking from rack to rack on campus

Campus Safety Services
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 09-14-2007

A number of burglaries occurred at Sobrato Residence Hall on Thursday afternoon, September 13, 2007. Entry was made into suites, apartments, and individual bedrooms by the suspects forcibly prying the doors and/or breaking the locks. The suspects removed laptop computers in those rooms where items were taken. In one instance, the suspect awakened a resident who was taking a nap when entry was made. In another, the suspect knocked at the apartment door and was greeted by the resident. The suspect asked for John whereupon the resident escorted the suspect to a neighboring unit where she knew John lived; but when no one answered the door, the suspect excused himself and left the area. This suspect was also observed on the first floor of Casa Italiana a few minutes later

The persons believed to be responsible for these break-ins were described by witnesses as:
Suspect #1 A Hispanic Male Adult, 20-22yrs, 5-08 to 5-10, Medium Build, Short dark hair, no facial hair, large or long white polo/tee shirt, with long baggy jeans or shorts, carrying a black backpack.

Suspect #2 A Black Male Adult, 20-22 yrs, medium build, 5-10 to 6-01, short cropped black hair, no facial hair, large diamond type earrings both ears, large heavy shiny silver necklace and medallion, wearing a large long white polo/tee-shirt/ or athletic type sports jersey( logo or numbers unknown), white athletic tennis shoes, large black/dark baggy long athletic basketball type shorts/ or baggy jeans, carrying black backpack.

The backpacks reported by witnesses supports the belief that they were used to carry away the laptop computers removed from students rooms

These descriptions and actions are similar to those individuals believed to be responsible for break-ins during the last academic year in Swig, Walsh, and McLaughlin Halls

Just after 1:30 PM today, CSS received a report of a person matching the description of Suspect #1 walking through the 2nd floor of the Benson Center; which coupled with his suspicious behavior led a Staff member to contact Campus Safety. The individual asked for directions to a copy center; then immediately walk the other way after being told where to find one.

Please keep in mind that Laptops in office environments, purses left behind desks, etc are targets of opportunity for thieves as well.

If you see persons resembling these individuals, please contact Campus Safety @
(408) 554-4444.

With Student Move-In this weekend, it is especially important to remind the campus community to report suspicious persons or activity immediately to Campus Safety or the Santa Clara Police Department. If an individual's actions seem out of place, don't rationalize………report it! A heightened sense of vigilance is necessary this weekend with the large number of individuals on campus during at the start of the school year.

Thank You

Campus Safety Services
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01-16-2007

The information contained in the below email was originally sent to only SCU students, given the lateness of the hour of the occurrance and the area in which the individual was observed. Subsequently, as a result of the message, another student reported seeing a person matching this description in the the lobby of Casa Italiana early Sunday morning January 14th.

The Campus Safety Alert is now being sent to SCU Staff as well as a precautionary measure. This individual may frequent the campus; and the more persons who are aware of him increases the opportunity for his presence to be reported to Campus Safety or the Santa Clara Police Department. In addition, this message acts as a reminder to pre-program your cell phones with the phone number for Campus Safety when immediate contat is desired and a Campus Emergency telephone is not nearby.

Thank you

Charlie Arolla

At approx 4:20 AM on Friday January 12th, the below-described subject was seen on campus in the area of Sobrato Hall. He was loitering near the south entrance to Sobrato and came into contact with three SCU students who were approaching the entrance on foot from the area of Safeway. They observed him on two occasions and said that he held what they described as a "shiny object" in his hand during one of those contacts.

There was a delay in notifying Campus Safety by the 3 students and the individual had already departed the area upon officers' arrival

A review of survelience videos showed the subject jumping the fence into the SCU Facilities service yard, and later returning to the Sobrato parking Lot, before departing the campus walking south on The Alameda toward El Camino Real.

This suspicious person was described as:

A white male adult, in his early 20s, skinny build, with a long pointy nose, and pale face. He wore dark pants, a black hooded sweatshirt with a dark beanie cap knit watch cap with long blond hair protruding out the back. He is approximately 5 8 to 511 tall with no facial hair.

The Santa Clara Policed Department has been notified of this incident and was requested to have field officers make frequent checks, particularly in the south campus area.

Please use caution and common sense when traveling to and from the campus late at night. It is always prudent to travel in pairs; and should students feel threatened, they may contact Campus Safety for escorts during such late night hours. Please report suspicious persons immediately. This process is accelerated when your cell phone is pre-programmed with the following numbers for SCU Campus Safety:

1 408 554-4441 for non-emergency contacts;

1 408 554-4444 for immediate assistance.

And, remember to dial 911 for Police, Fire, or Medical Assistance on or off campus.

Charlie Arolla

Campus Safety Services
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7-23-2006

Personal Safety at Home during Hot Weather

The Santa Clara Police Department has reported that over the weekend, the residential area south of the campus was the target of “hot prowls” where residences were illegally entered while the occupants were inside. Most likely residents left windows and doors open to find some comfort in the face of high temperatures.

In one instance, a female SCU student opened her door to create some ventilation, only to suddenly find a male stranger standing above her taking pictures with a camera phone. Santa Clara Police Department answered that call quickly, canvassed the area, and used a K-9 for tracking but the suspect was not located. (The student subsequently left her residence that day and night for safer housing.) During the area canvass officers found several residences unsecured with open doors or windows

Early Sat. morning a SCPD officer found a young woman who needed a ride home. He drove her to a Market St residence and found the front door standing open. Upon entering the house to ensure one of her roommates was able to take care of the woman, he found several interior bedroom doors open with students sleeping in their beds

Campus Safety wishes to remind SCU students living around the campus not to let the high temperatures we are now experiencing lead them to abandon residential security measures. Locking doors and windows, leaving exterior lights on and keeping an eye on neighbors will help increase each other's safety

Campus Safety Services

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4-26-2006

On April 22, 2006, during the early morning hours, a female student was walking alone on Park Avenue and was approached by a man in his early twenties. The man grabbed the woman, but she was able to quickly free herself from him and escape without being harmed. A report was filed with the Santa Clara Police Department and Campus Safety Services.

The perpetrator was not identified. This is the first report that Campus Safety has received and it is not known if this is an isolated incident. If you know any additional information about this incident, then please contact either the Santa Clara Police Department (408 615-4700) or Campus Safety Services (408-554-4441). We are sending this advisory to raise awareness and remind individuals to take precautions such as:

Do not walk alone,especially during the night or early morning hours.

If on or close to campus, use a Bluephone or cell phone to request a Campus Safety escort.

Do not engage strangers and immediately report any suspicious persons to Santa Clara Police or Campus Safety Services, or dial 9-1-1 from your cellular phone.

Campus Safety Services and The Office of Student Life

If you are the victim of a crime, the witness to a crime or suspect a crime has been committed, Call Campus Safety immediately at X4441or X4444. The sooner you call, the more likely CSS can catch a suspect.

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