Property Crime Deterrence

Like many other colleges and universities, theft of personal property is by far the most common type of criminal incident reported on our campus. The Department of Public Safety is committed to deterring these incidents, investigating those that occur, and whenever possible prosecuting anyone who engages in this criminal behavior.

There are a number of easy, effective steps you can take to “Help Us Help You”:

  • If you see anyone or anything that makes you suspicious, call Public Safety at 910. 630.7098 without delay.
  • Close and lock your residence hall room, office, and vehicle every time you leave it, even if you only plan to be away for a few minutes. It takes only takes a few seconds for a thief to steal your valuables.
  • Close and lock your residence hall room door when you are asleep or in the bathroom.
  • Never prop an exterior residence hall door or gate open.
  • Don’t open residence hall room or lobby doors for people you don’t know. Everyone who is authorized to enter a particular residence hall should already have key and/or card access.
  • Report any lost residence hall room key to your Residential Coordinator and have room locks changed without delay!
  • Don’t “hide” a key outside your residence hall room.
  • NEVER leave laptop computers, cell phones and other personal electronic devices, purses, backpacks, etc. unattended – even for a few seconds – outdoors or inside academic, study, recreation or food service facilities.
  • Avoid leaving your valuables in plain sight – whether in your room, office or vehicle! Plainly visible items like GPS units, personal electronic devices, and audio components – especially in vehicles – draw the attention of would-be thieves.
  • Register at reportit.leadsonline.com. Should your property be stolen anywhere, that information may be entered into the national law enforcement database to assist in positive identification and recovery. This free service is available to everyone on campus.
  • You can share information about suspicious activity anonymously by calling MU Crime-Stoppers at 910.630.7287, by clicking on the Silent Witness link, or through the MUPAWS mobile app.