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Reporting Crime and Other Emergencies

All crimes that occur on campus should be reported to UNC Police. This helps ensure that incidents are properly included in the annual Disclosure of Crime Statistics and that a Crime Alert can be issued when necessary. In an emergency, dial 911. Police must respond to every 911 call, whether on a cellphone or a landline, even if the caller hangs up without saying anything. If 911 is accidentally dialed, the caller should stay on the line and tell the operator that it was an error. This will save the police an unnecessary trip.

There are several additional ways to contact help or report a crime depending on the location and situation:

There are emergency phones located across campus for the general public to use.  All of these emergency phones provide a direct line to the Emergency 911 Center at the Police Department. There are also approximately 287 direct-line call boxes located across the campus and in University parking decks (identifiable at night by the blue lights on top) as well as emergency phones in parking lots and elevators. There is generally at least one call box on each level of the University’s parking decks.

Call boxes require only the push of a button to contact UNC Police through a speakerphone.  A bright strobe light on the top of the call box is set off when the button is pushed, helping police quickly locate the caller. If the caller is unable to speak or needs to seek safer shelter, there are indicators in place to let police dispatchers know which call box has been activated. UNC Police officers will respond quickly any time a call box is activated, whether someone speaks into the speaker or not.  In addition to using the call box to report emergencies, callers should also use them to report simple suspicious activities that may warrant immediate police attention.

For more information or to arrange a call box demonstration, call the UNC Police Crime Prevention Officer at 919-966-3230. To report any kind of problem relative to the operation or appearance of campus call box, please call Electric Distribution Systems at 919-962-8394, or the UNC Police Department at 919-962-3951, if the call box is within a parking deck.

Look for an officer on patrol or go to the Police Department at 285 Manning Drive for assistance. It is open 24 hours a day.
For routine calls, please call Public Safety at 919-962-8100 or 919-962-6565.
In an emergency, dial 911 to reach local police. To reach these agencies in non emergency situations:

Anyone can electronically send anonymous reports about campus crimes to UNC Police through the Silent Witness program.  When submitting a report, please provide three pieces of information: the type of crime involved, the general location of the crime (campus building, parking lot, etc.), and a more specific location for the crime. The form also has spaces for date, time, and description of the crime as well as the suspect’s name, address, and appearance.

After filling in as much information as possible, click on “Submit” and the report is emailed to UNC Police’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID), identified only by a unique, randomly generated number. The same number is also displayed for printing purposes. If the party making the report wishes to contact UNC Police again about the same crime, they should reference the number of the previous report to enable the Criminal Investigations Division to add the new information to the file.

UNC Police follows up on each Silent Witness report as appropriate, based upon the timeliness and substantiation of information provided, to determine if the incident represents an ongoing threat to the campus community. If the investigating officer determines that the reported incident occurred and that it has not previously been reported, the officer will complete an incident report. Reports filed in this manner are counted and disclosed in the annual crime statistics for the institution.

Smart911

When 911 is dialed today, the information received by the 911 call center can be limited based on the type of phone used to make the call. Smart911 is a free, private, and secure opt-in service through which the UNC-CH community and visitors can create personalized profiles with important personal information. Smart911 allows citizens to provide the additional details that 911 call takers may need in order to assist them during an emergency, putting dispatchers a step ahead. At a time when a caller may be panicked, or unable to communicate, or it could be unsafe to communicate, Smart911 ensures that the important details needed to tell 911 are immediately available in the event they cannot be verbally provided.

With Smart911, any time an emergency call is made from a phone registered with a personalized Safety Profile, the 911 systems recognizes that phone number and automatically displays the caller’s profile on the screen of the dispatcher who receives the call.

A Smart911 profile contains photos, physical descriptions, details about users place of residence and work, and medical information. Users can personalize their Smart911 profile, sharing any or all of the uploaded information.

LiveSafe

To help the campus community remain safe, both on and off campus, the University is providing a new app, LiveSafe, that turns cell phones into personal safety devices.

LiveSafe is the world’s leading mobile safety communications platform delivering crowd-sourced safety and security intelligence, preventing incidents, and connecting people to the help they need. LiveSafe fosters a safe and secure learning environment, while enabling students, faculty, and staff to contribute to campus safety through quick, easy, and discreet two-way communications with campus safety officials.

With LiveSafe, users can:

  • Share information, tips and safety concerns with campus safety via text messaging, including picture, video, and audio attachments, or even through live chat.
  • Stay anonymous anytime, or send their user information and location to UNC Police as soon as they call or message, allowing faster response times.
  • View a helpful Safety Map that geographically displays buildings and places that provide safety resources to students, faculty, and staff.
  • Link to campus emergency procedures and important resource information including Alert Carolina, Campus Health, and UNC Police.
  • Activate SafeWalk, a GPS-tagged monitoring feature to let their friends and family keep them covered until they arrive safely to their destination.
  • Receive timely notifications with important safety information from campus safety.

Available on the App Store or Google Play, users can download the app on their iPhone or Android, select “UNC-Chapel Hill” as their affiliation, and fill in their user profile information to begin using the app.

Alert Carolina

Students, faculty, and staff receive emails to their UNC accounts and text messages to their cell phones if the number is registered in the campus directory.  More information about the Alert Carolina program is found in Emergency Notification Systems and Crime Alerts.

Members of the UNC community are encouraged to report crimes and incidents directly to UNC Police.  However, it’s understandable that some may prefer to report to other individuals or offices within the University.  As such, the campus community can also report crimes to Campus Security Authorities.  The Clery Act requires the University to designate employees with significant responsibility for student and campus activities, outside of normal classroom instruction as CSAs.   CSAs include, among others: Academic Deans and Associate Deans; the Dean and Associate Deans of Students; Resident Advisors (RAs) and Community Directors (CDs); the Director and Associate Directors of Athletics; Athletic Coaches and Assistant Coaches.

Pastoral and professional counselors acting in the scope of their professional license are not considered CSAs and are not required to report crimes for inclusion into this report.  However, they are encouraged to share information about the various support and reporting options on campus and in the community with those they serve.  While the University has identified hundreds of CSAs, the following offices have been officially designated as places where university community members should report crimes:

The trained professionals designated below can provide counseling, information, and support in a confidential setting. These Confidential Resources will not share information identifying an individual (including whether that individual has received services) without the individual’s express permission, unless there is a continuing threat of serious harm to the patient/client or to others or there is a legal obligation to reveal such information (e.g., suspected abuse or neglect of a minor). These professionals are also available to help an individual make a report to the University.

On Campus

UNC Campus Health Services

  • Sexual assault exams/evidence collection
  • Screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
    • Emergency contraceptives
    • Pregnancy tests
  • Treatment paid for by the Survivor’s Assistance Fund

Gender Violence Services Coordinators

  • Support for individuals experiencing interpersonal violence
  • Assistance in understanding reporting options and navigating reporting process
  • Link to University and community resources
  • Walk-in hours and appointments available
  • Confidential by University policy (protection may not extend beyond campus proceedings)

University Ombuds Office

  • Impartial, informal, and independent resource and referral
    • Non-judgmental listening and discussion of options
    • Available to anyone affected by the incident
  • Confidential by University policy (protection may not extend beyond campus proceedings)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

  • Individual and group counseling and referral

Employee Assistance Program

  • 24/7 confidential care for University employees and their families

UNC Hospital Emergency Room

  • After-hours medical care
  • Sexual assault exams/evidence collection
  • Screening and treatment of STIs
  • Emergency contraceptives
  • Pregnancy tests
  • Survivor’s Assistance Fund: Funds are available to offset medical expenses

Off Campus

Compass Center for Women and Families

  • Personal and court advocacy
  • Emergency shelter placement

Orange County Rape Crisis Center

  • 24/7 Hotline: 1-866-WE-LISTEN (1-866-935-4783)
  • Personal and court advocacy
  • Accompaniment to emergency room and police
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill strives to create a welcoming and safe environment for all individuals visiting University property or participating in University programs. The Policy on the Protection of Minors reinforces this expectation by establishing standards, requirements, and procedures that specifically focus on protecting the safety of individuals who are less than 18 years of age from abuse and neglect by a parent, guardian, caregiver, or staff of programs sponsored by or affiliated with the University.

Compliance with this Policy shall be a responsibility of all University faculty, staff, volunteers, interns, and students as well as outside third parties (including contractors) who are authorized to use University facilities. Both as a matter of University policy and North Carolina State law, any member of the University Community who reasonably suspects that a minor has been abused or neglected by a parent, guardian, caregiver, or staff member has an absolute obligation to report that suspicion to the appropriate County Department of Social Services (“DSS”). The Orange County (North Carolina) DSS is the appropriate contact for incidents occurring on the University’s campus in Chapel Hill regardless of the residence of the minor involved.

Reports of abuse and neglect can be made to the Child Protective Services Division in the Orange County DSS as follows:

  • Monday-Friday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. excluding holidays, call 919-245-2818 or 919-968-2000
  • After-hours and on weekends and holidays, call 911 and ask for the on-call social worker.

In addition to notifying the Orange County DSS, the reporting party also must notify one of the following offices

  • For instances involving alleged sexual misconduct, harassment or assault, the University’s Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC) at 919-966-3576
  • For instances involving any other forms of alleged inappropriate behavior or misconduct, the University’s Employee and Management Relations Unit of the Office of Human Resources at 919-843-3444

If a situation is encountered in which a minor is at immediate risk of harm or the victim of a criminal act, please contact the UNC Police Department or the appropriate Police Department immediately by dialing 911.

The UNC Police Department or the appropriate Police Department will make a final determination as to whether a matter merits further investigation and University community members must not attempt to make such judgments independently of law enforcement. Reporting to University officials does not relieve the obligation of a University Community Member to also make a report directly to law enforcement in the event the minor is at immediate risk.

For more information about the protection of minors on campus, how to register a program, or report an incident, contact Starr Barbaro at 919-843-8995.

Complementing policies and procedures in place for students, the University’s Violence in the Workplace Policy provides a mechanism for addressing violent behavior committed by employees on the job. The policy prohibits “any form of violence by an employee against another employee, student, vendor, or visitor to the University.”

Employees are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, for threats, intimidation, physical attack, or intentional property damage they commit on- or off-campus while engaged in activity related to their University employment.

Any employee who believes that they have been the target of workplace violence should report the incident immediately to an appropriate supervisor or manager, or to the Employee & Management Relations Department in Human Resources at 919-843-3444. In emergencies, employees should call 911.

Reports of violence will be handled in a confidential manner, as allowed by North Carolina law, with information being released only on a need-to-know basis. Management will investigate incidents fully and promptly, take appropriate disciplinary action, and follow up with victims and any other staff members affected by the incident. The policy prohibits retaliation and harassment against employees who make good-faith reports about policy violations.

Although the University takes routine disciplinary action against students under the auspices of the Instrument of Student Judicial Governance, the Emergency Evaluation and Action Committee (“EEAC”) Policy and Procedures provide a swifter response when the safety of the University community is involved.

The EEAC is chaired by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs or his/her delegate and administered by the Office of the Dean of Students, which can be reached at 919-966-4042. Situations which may be dealt with under this policy fall into five categories:

  • An applicant for admission or readmission to the University who has been convicted of a crime involving assault or felonious behavior, who has a record of violent behavior, or who has a record of academic dishonesty or disciplinary rule violations elsewhere;
  • A student whose behavior, on or off campus, is such that his/her presence in the University, in the judgment of the Emergency Evaluation and Action Committee, poses a serious threat of disruption of the academic process or a continuing danger to other members of the University community or University property;
  • A student who has been arrested and charged with a serious crime of a violent or dangerous nature, or a serious crime that involved placing another person in fear of imminent physical injury or danger, where, in the judgment of the committee, if the student is found guilty, his/her presence in the University would pose a serious threat of disruption of the academic process or a continuing danger to the student, other members of the University community or University property;
  • A student charged by the University with a violation of policies concerning illegal drugs, whose continued presence within the University community would, if the charges are true, constitute a clear and immediate danger to the health or welfare of other members of the University community; and
  • A student whose behavior on or off campus is such that, in the judgment of the Committee, he/she poses a danger to himself/herself.

Once a student is notified by the EEAC of an initial action, the student can request a hearing that will occur not earlier than seven days from the date of notification unless the student waives the seven-day standard. The scheduled hearing will then occur on the next appropriate Thursday (when EEAC regularly meets). The student is usually notified of the outcome of that meeting within 24-48 hours.

The full spectrum of possible sanctions issued by the EEAC include:

  • Summary suspension
  • Summary medical suspension
  • Reinstatement of a student who has been summarily suspended by the Committee or the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
  • Reinstatement of a student who has been indefinitely suspended by the Committee
  • Ordering that an applicant not be considered for admission due to his/her behavioral history
  • Referral to the Student Attorney General for proceedings under The Instrument of Student Judicial Governance
  • Required a mental health evaluation
  • Permitting the student to remain enrolled, with case management by the UNC Counseling and Psychological Services, subject to his/her compliance with specified conditions set by the Committee, violation of such conditions to be a ground for reopening the case against the student
  • Mandatory medical withdrawal
  • Indefinite suspension
  • Recommendation for expulsion
  • Imposition of any other sanction or administrative remedy that is reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances
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