Common Sense: Your Guide to Safe Urban Living

Security

For more than forty years, the University Police have worked side by side with the City of Chicago Police Department to provide security on campus and in nearby neighborhoods. If you are ever uncomfortable for any reason or need to report a crime or suspicious activity, call the police immediately. The University Police encourage prompt and accurate reporting of any such problem. The key elements of the University’s security system are itemized as follows.

University Police

The University Police Department (UCPD) operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, on campus and throughout the Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and Woodlawn neighborhoods. They patrol north to 39th Street, south to 64th Street, east to Lake Shore Drive, and west to Cottage Grove Avenue.

Officers are armed and fully empowered to make arrests in accordance with the requirements of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and consistent with Illinois state statutes. UCPD and the City of Chicago Police Department work together by monitoring each other’s calls within the UCPD’s coverage area. UCPD headquarters is located at 5555 South Ellis Avenue. UCPD can be reached at 702-8181 or through e-mail at cops@uchicago.edu.

Near the Gleacher Center, the Chicago Police Department holds jurisdiction on police matters.

Whistlestop Program

Many residents of the area patrolled by the UCPD participate in the Whistlestop program. Whistles produce a loud noise that can scare off attackers and attract help from neighbors. Whistles may be purchased for $2 at UCPD headquarters, 5555 South Ellis Avenue.

Emergency Phones

There are 325 emergency phones in the area, located on thoroughfares heavily trafficked by pedestrians. Simply press the red button inside the phone box and your location will be immediately transmitted to the UCPD. You may then explain your request to the dispatcher. You need not say anything if you must keep moving to protect yourself. Continue to use emergency phones along the way so that police can follow your course. An officer or patrol car will come to your aid immediately. (Emergency Phone Locations Map)

Contact Cards

University Police officers complete a contact card after any investigative contact with a person. The cards specify name, address, phone number, and a description of the person questioned; the date, time, and location; whether or not a weapons frisk was conducted; name(s) of those with the person when questioned; reason for the contact; disposition; and the name(s) of the officer(s) involved. Anyone stopped and questioned for investigative reasons may review his or her contact card, as long as it remains on file (typically seven years from the date of contact), by requesting to speak with a supervisor at UCPD headquarters at 5555 South Ellis Avenue during business hours.

Complaint Process

UCPD operates under strict rules and regulations that provide for professional conduct. Occasionally, however, a situation may arise that leads to a formal complaint against the University police. Complaints are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly. To make a formal complaint or to share feedback, talk to the watch commander or supervisor on duty by calling the dispatcher at 702-8181 or visit http://oca.uchicago.edu/safety/police/feedback.shtml to download the Citizen’s Complaint Form. Students may also initiate complaints by contacting the Office of the Vice-President and Dean of Students in the University or the Dean-on-Call at 834-HELP.

Once an investigation has been concluded, the complainant(s) will receive a written response from the executive director of the UCPD explaining the findings and any disciplinary actions taken by the department as a result of a sustained complaint. The UCPD submits the investigative report for complaints relating directly or indirectly to issues of excessive force, violation of rights, and abusive language to the Independent Review Committee for the UCPD for review.

Residence Halls

Most residence halls have a front desk staffed twenty-four hours a day. In addition, the main entrances of most residence halls have security doors for which keys are needed. Visitor control attendants will check University identification. Guests must sign in at the front desk and are not allowed through the security doors until their host has agreed to receive them. All other exits or first-floor entries have doors with local alarms, and some of these are also wired to notify University Police if they are opened. Many first-floor windows have stainless-steel security screens.

Academic Buildings

Most academic buildings are accessible during normal business hours. After 5 p.m., they are locked and accessible only to authorized persons. Security staff members monitor access to public or semi-public campus events.

The hospitals, libraries, and athletic facilities are monitored by check-in personnel who verify University identification or the visitor’s business within the building. The Gleacher Center is open until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on Saturday; it is closed on Sunday. A security staff monitors the building twenty-four hours a day. Trespassers are prosecuted.

Real Estate Operations

Neighborhood Student Apartments, which are owned and operated by the University, offer secure, convenient, and affordable housing exclusively to graduate students registered at the University. There is an emergency phone near the main entrance of each University apartment building. Well-lit foyers have at least one locked door to limit building access, and residents may communicate with visitors via intercom.

Security Concerns and Suggestions

Suggestions and concerns about security, including ways to improve this publication, are welcomed. If e-mailed to sauc@uchicago.edu, they will be immediately forwarded to the appropriate department. You may also contact Henry Webber, Vice-President for Community and Government Affairs, Administration 605, 702-3627.