UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT OF PUBL IC SAFETY
20
009 Ann
nual Se
ecurity
y & Fire
e Safetyy Repo
ort
University of Houston
n Departmen
nt of Public Safety
3869
9 Wheeler S
St.
Houston,, TX 77204--6191
Phone 713.743.33
333
E-mail police@uh.
p
edu
Website www.uh.edu
w
u/police
Crime statistics in this document updated September 2015
1
Table of Contents
CHIEF’S WELCOME
HELPFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS
UH HISTORY AND TRADITIONS
CAMPUS INFO
LEADERSHIP
PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS
FIRE MARSHAL
PARKING ENFORCEMENT
POLICE DEPARTMENT
SECURITY SERVICES
TRAINING
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER AGENCIES
DEFINITIONS
SECURITY POLICIES & PROCEDURES
ALCOHOL POLICY
CONFIDENTIALITY
CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS
DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE POLICY
EDUCATION OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
EMPLOYEE & STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY
FIREARMS & WEAPONS POLICY
NOTIFICATION OF MISSING STUDENTS
REPORTING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
RESIDENCE HALLS
RESPONSE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY
SECURITY ALERTS
SECURITY ESCORTS
SECURITY & FACILITY MAINTENANCE
SEXUAL ASSAULT
SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION
SHELTER-IN-PLACE PROCEDURES
TRESPASSING
CAMPUS CRIME STATISTICS
ANNUAL FIRE SAFETY REPORT
EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY INSPECTIONS
FIRE PROTECTION/EQUIPMENT SYSTEMS
FIRE SAFETY AMENITIES IN RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES
FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION
FIRE SAFETY TIPS
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
NOTIFICATION PROCESSES
RESIDENTIAL LIFE EVACUATION PROCEDURES
CAMPUS FIRE STATISTICS
JURISDICTIONAL MAP
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2
WELCOME
Whether you are a current or prospective UH Student, Faculty, Staff or simply a
visitor to our website, I would like to thank you for taking time to read the University
of Houston Department of Public Safety’s (UHDPS) 2009 Annual Security Report.
This report is prepared in cooperation with the University of Houston Student Affairs
Division in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security
Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Beginning with calendar year 2009, the
Campus Fire Safety Right-To-Know Act requires colleges and universities to report
specific fire safety information and statistics in residential complexes owned or
controlled by the university or college. For ease of reporting, all required elements of
both reports have been merged into a single report entitled “The 2009 Annual Fire &
Safety Report.”
For purposes of this report, each entity provides updated information on their
educational efforts and programs to comply with both of these acts. Campus crime,
arrest and referral statistics include those reported to the Department of Public
Safety as well as to designated campus safety authorities. Residential fire statistics
include all fire incidents in residential complexes regardless of reporting mechanism.
Both reports include specific crime and fire statistics from the previous three years.
This report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, alcohol
and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, fire safety information and
other matters. Interested persons may obtain a printed copy of this report by coming
by our UHDPS Building located at UH Entrance 12 off Wheeler Street. In addition
to the Annual Security Report, the UHDPS maintains a daily log of crimes
committed on campus which is available for review on our website at
www.uh.edu/police/dcb.htm.
Malcolm Davis
Assistant Vice President for Public Safety & Security
Chief of Police
3
Helpful Telephone
e Numbe
ers
Policce Emergency .................................................................................................. 911
Policce Non-Em
mergency .......................................................................... 713-743--3333
Fire and Physic
cal Safety ........................................................................ 713-743--1635
Parkking Enforc
cement ............................................................................. 713-743--5849
Crim
me Preventiion ................................................................................... 713-743--0417
Inve
estigations ......................................................................................... 713-743--0617
Lostt and Found
d ...................................................................................... 713-743--0620
UHD
DPS Person
nnel ................................................................................. 713-743--0595
Parkking and Trransportatio
on Services
s ..................................................... 713-743--1097
UH Contact Ce
enter ................................................................................. 713-743--1000
UH Counseling
g and Psych
hological Se
ervices .......................................... 713-743--5454
UH Health Cen
nter ................................................................................... 713-743--5151
Hou
uston Sexua
al Assault Hotline
H
............................................................. 713-528--7273
Ou
ur Histo
ory and
d Trad
ditions
The University
U
of
o Houston's proud heritage of accademic exccellence
dates
s back to its
s founding iin 1927. Ovver the years, we grew
w and
prosp
pered, beco
oming the U
University o
of Houston iin 1934. Tw
wo years
later, the instituttion acquire
ed land for a permanent campus,, and its
first building
b
ope
ened in 193
39. In 1947, the institution launch
hed one of
its ma
any rich tra
aditions by a
adopting the cougar, later named
d Shasta,
as its
s official ma
ascot. The u
university b
became a sttate instituttion in 1963
3
sity of Hous
ston System
m in 1977.
and joined the newly created Univers
Toda
ay, the Univ
versity of Houston
H
is a major pub
blic researcch and teaching institution, serving more
than
n 38,000 stu
udents annually with nearly
n
300 undergradu
u
uate and gra
aduate prog
grams.
Ou
ur Cam
mpus
Sma
ack in the midst
m
of a bu
ustling international city, the Univversity of Houston's 66
67-acre cam
mpus is a
lush
h, green oas
sis. Fountains and scu
ulptures ado
orn the grou
unds, while
e manicured
d lawns and
d tree-filled
parkks offer brea
athing room
m. At the sa
ame time, th
he campus offers all th
he amenitie
es and high-tech
facilities require
ed by mode
ern university life; in th
he past few years, UH has made more than $220
millio
on in camp
pus improve
ements.
As cclassrooms improved campus
c
parking increa
ased by mo
ore than 800 spaces. N
New spaces have
been
n added ne
ear the UH Law Center and acros
ss from the Campus R
Recreation a
and Wellness Center.
Our Welcome Center
C
and parking ga
arage offers
s convenien
nt parking a
and easy acccess to stu
udent
servvices including admissions and fin
nancial aid service cen
nters, a visitor's center and the U
University
Eye Institute. A new 1,300
0 space parrking garag
ge has been
n built on th
he east side
e of campuss
essible from
m State Spu
ur 5 allowing easy acc
cess to the C
Calhoun Lo
ofts, Bauer College of Business
acce
and the Law Ce
enter.
Our off-campus
s teaching centers
c
— UH System
m at Cinco R
Ranch and UH System
m at Sugar Land —
bring
g education
nal opportunities to stu
udents in ou
utlying part s of the Ho
ouston area
a and offer ccredit and
4
conttinuing education prog
grams to me
eet almost any
a need. W
We have th
he highest d
distance ed
ducation
enro
ollment and
d the most upper-divisi
u
on residentt courses a
and degree programs iin Texas. A
Also, our
instrructional tellevision and
d online pro
ograms pro
ovide degree
e opportunities for stu
udents at ho
ome, at
workk or in theirr neighborhoods.
Fina
ally, we com
mmissioned
d the develo
opment of a Master Pla
an to serve
e as our blueprint for growth for
the n
next 20 yea
ars. The pla
an includes five distinc
ct areas: Arrt District, P
Professional District,
Und
dergraduate
e District, Core Academ
mic District and Stadiu
um District. By 2020, U
UH will be a more
pede
estrian-focu
used campu
us. We will have more
e housing, improved accademic bu
uildings, and new
"lifesstyle" features such as
s stores, restaurants and
a gatherin
ng areas.
Le
eadersh
hip
The University of
o Houston (UH) is the largest and only doctorral degree-g
granting univversity in the
e UH
Systtem, which also
a include
es UH-Clearr Lake, UH-Downtown, UH-Victoria
a, UH Syste
em at Sugarr Land and
UH S
System at Cinco
C
Ranch
h. The UH System
S
is go
overned by a 10-memb
ber Board off Regents.
Publlic Saffety De
epartm
ments
The Univ
versity’s campuses are
e located in
n safe areas, but no
campus is free from
m crime, wh
hether it is u
urban, subu
urban, or
of the University comm
munity, therrefore,
rural. All members o
ake reasonable precautions. The
e Universityy of
should ta
Houston is committted to working with all members o
of the
commun
nity to make
e our campuses safe a
and secure
environm
ments. The University has develo
oped a serie
es of
policies and
a proced
dures to asssist in these
e efforts. T
The
following
g informatio
on has been
n prepared to increase
e
awa
areness of the current programs that exist to
o assist stud
dents, facullty, and stafff in mainta
aining their
safe
ety and welll-being. Porrtions are also
a
provide
ed in compliance with ffederal law
w, specifically the Clery
y
Act and the Hig
gher Educa
ation Opporrtunity Act (HEOA). Th
he Universitty of Housto
on has been fortunate
g few seriou
us crimes, but
b such inc
cidents cou
uld occur, and all crime
e is seriouss to the
in exxperiencing
victim. Studentts, faculty, and
a staff arre responsib
ble for adop
pting measures to prottect themse
elves and
ons.
theirr possessio
UH
HDPS Firre Marsh
hal
Fire and Life Safety involv
ves everyon
ne in every area of the
e university and refers to the prevvention of
fire, accidents, injury, and property damage. Through inspe
ections, fire
e safety equ
uipment is checked
and maintained
d; food safe
ety standard
ds are adhe
ered; and ssafety conce
erns such a
as frayed ellectrical
cord
ds, trip haza
ards, broken or inapprropriate equ
uipment and
d fire hazarrds are iden
ntified and rremoved.
Thro
ough design
n and plan review, arc
chitects and
d engineerss are assiste
ed in ensurring that fire
e and life
safe
ety measure
es are built into areas under cons
struction. Th
hrough eme
ergency ma
anagementt,
assistance is available to develop sp
pecific evacuation plan
ns. Through
h training, cclasses are available
for e
evacuation planning, fiire and life safety, fire extinguishe
ers, and foo
od safety.
5
UH
HDPS Pa
arking En
nforcem
ment
The University has adopte
ed a parking
g and traffic
c program tto create an
n orderly tra
affic flow an
nd
equiitable parking conditions on camp
pus. Person
nal safety, tthe recognition of othe
ers' needs, campus
appe
earance, an
nd applicab
ble laws we
ere considerrations in th
he formulattion of these
e regulation
ns. To park
on th
he Universiity of Houstton property
y you must have a perrmit, unlesss you park a
at meters, vvisitor lots,
or th
he Universitty Hilton Ho
otel garage. Purchasin
ng a permit does not g
guarantee a parking place but
allow
ws you to park
p
if space
e is availab
ble.
o
transferrable betwe
een vehicle
es and NOT
T between individuals. The registe
ered permitt
The permit is only
der is responsible for any
a parking citations is
ssued to hiss vehicle orr permit num
mber. In the
e event the
hold
vehiicle is not re
egistered with
w UH Parrking and Transportatio
on, the cita
ation will be charged ag
gainst the
regisstered vehicle's ownerr according to the Tex
xas Departm
ment of Tra
ansportation
n.
You may park only
o
where your permit allows. You are not allowed to park in areas that are not for
ve a restricted status. Examples of restricted
d areas are
e: fire and n
no parking zzones, the
yourr use or hav
grasss, sidewalk
ks, along cu
urbs, any unmarked sp
pot, or any spot that w
would disrup
pt pedestria
an or
vehiicular traffic
c. If you rec
ceive traffic or parking citations an
nd do not re
esolve them
m, your veh
hicle will be
subjjected to tow
w or immob
bilization att your expense. Vehiclles may nott operate on Universityy of
Hou
uston property if they are
a in violation of state
e law.
Certtain low-lyin
ng areas off the campu
us, especiallly areas ab
butting Entrrance 6, are
e prone to fflooding in
heavvy rains. Th
he University of Houston is not re
esponsible ffor any dam
mage or losss of motor vehicles orr
perssonal prope
erty contained in any motor
m
vehicle on camp
pus. Vehicle
e operators are respon
nsible for
famiiliarizing the
emselves with
w current parking rules and reg
gulations.
Anyo
one who op
perates a motor
m
vehiclle on UH prroperty musst register tthat vehicle
e with Parking and
Tran
nsportation Services. Authorized
A
university vehicles
v
an
nd equipment are exem
mpt.
UHDP
PS Police
e Deparrtment
The Poliice Departm
ment is com
mprised of ccommission
ned police
officers who
w are gra
anted the a
authority and responsib
bility to
investiga
ate all crime
es occurring on the prroperty own
ned or
controlle
ed by the University. A
As with any University police
agency in
i the State
e of Texas, our police officers havve
jurisdiction in any ccounty withiin the State
e in which th
he
perty that iss owned, lea
ased, rente
ed, or
University has prop
se under the
e control off the instituttion.
otherwis
UHD
DPS officers are fully empowered
e
d by the sta
ate to stop vvehicles, ma
ake arrestss and enforcce all laws.
UHD
DPS officers provide th
he same lev
vel of servic
ce offered b
by a municcipal police department, as well
as o
other services unique to
t an acade
emic instituttion. The de
epartment o
operates 24
4 hours a d
day, 365
dayss a year. Th
he departm
ment works closely
c
with
h administra
ators, stude
ents, facultyy and staff tto create
and maintain a secure atm
mosphere.
6
UHDPS Security Services
UHDPS has a fully functional Security Division which works in conjunction with commissioned Police
Officers to enhance overall safety of the campus. As UHDPS police officers patrol the campus, the
University’s Security Division is also on the lookout for suspicious activities or emergency situations.
Security Officers are hired, trained and supervised by the University Police Department and are
assigned to the University as well as System-wide units, who contract for, and fund, the positions.
Security Officers patrol the main campus on foot, bicycle, cart, and vehicles. They are also assigned
to many fixed post positions at several campus buildings and residential facilities. Security Officers
also work several off campus sites including the Pharmacy Building in the Texas Medical Center, UH
System at Sugar Land, UH System at Cinco Ranch, and the University of Houston Victoria.
You may have seen Security Officers monitoring many areas of the UH campus. They are easy to
spot as they are uniformed in bright yellow, high visibility shirts with the word SECURITY plainly
marked on the back of the shirt. These Security Officers normally will be on foot, but also use carts
that are marked “UH SECURITY SERVICES.”
Training
UHDPS employs a training coordinator who is responsible for conducting intensive and on-going
training for all campus police and security officers. Training subjects include criminal law, civil law,
public relations, race relations, interpersonal communication, crisis intervention, critical incident
response, and all facets of protection of persons and property. Training includes guest lecturers.
Training is also conducted during daily roll call sessions. This training usually includes updates on
current issues, new court decisions impacting the University environment, and other timely topics. In
addition, all UHDPS police and security personnel are certified in standard first aid and CPR.
Working Relationships with Other Law Enforcement Agencies
UHDPS maintains a close working relationship with the Houston Police Department (HPD,) the Texas
Southern University Police Department, Houston Metro Police, Houston Community College Police,
Houston Independent School District Police, Precinct 6 & 7 Constable’s Office, and the University of
Texas at Houston Police Department. Meetings are held between the leaders of these agencies on
both a formal and informal basis. The officers of UHDPS and these other agencies communicate
regularly on the scene of incidents that occur in and around the campus area. UHDPS Investigators
work closely with the investigative staff of these agencies when incidents arise that require joint
investigative efforts, resources, crime related reports and exchanges of information, as deemed
necessary. UHDPS has written memorandums of understanding between with each of these
agencies.
If HPD is contacted about criminal activity occurring off-campus involving UH students, HPD may
notify UHDPS. However, there is no official HPD policy requiring such notification. Students in these
cases may be subject to arrest by HPD and university judicial proceedings through the Office of
Student Affairs.
7
Defin
nitions
s
Crime
e Definittions fro
om the U
Uniform Crime
Reporrting Ha
andbook
k
Crimina
al Homicid
de - Murderr and Non - negligentt Manslaug
ghter
The willfful (non - ne
egligent) killing of one
e human be
eing by anotther.
al Homicid
de-Manslau
ughter by N
Negligence
e
Crimina
The killin
ng of anoth
her person tthrough gro
oss negligence.
x Offenses - Forcible
Sex
Any sexual act directed ag
gainst another person, forcibly an
nd/or again
nst that persson's will; o
or
not fforcibly or against
a
the person's will
w where th
he victim is incapable o
of giving co
onsent.
A
A. Forcible Rape - The carnal kn
nowledge off a person, forcibly and
d/or againsst that perso
on's will;
or not fo
orcibly or ag
gainst the person's
p
will where the
e victim is in
ncapable off giving con
nsent
because
e of his/her temporary or permane
ent mental or physicall incapacityy (or becausse of
his/her youth).
y
B
B. Forcible Sodomy - Oral
O or anal sexual intercourse w
with anotherr person, fo
orcibly and/o
or
a
against thatt person's will;
w or not fo
orcibly against the perrson’s will w
where the vvictim is inccapable
o
of giving consent beca
ause of his/her youth or because
e of his/herr temporaryy or perman
nent
m
mental or physical inca
apacity.
C
C. Sexual Assault
A
With
h An Object - The use of an objecct or instrum
ment to unlawfully pen
netrate,
h
however slightly, the genital
g
or an
nal opening
g of the bod
dy of anoth
her person, forcibly an
nd/or
a
against thatt person's will;
w or not fo
orcibly or against the
e person's w
will where tthe victim iss
incapable of
o giving con
nsent because of hiis/her youth
h or becausse of his/he
er temporaryy or
p
permanent mental or physical
p
inc
capacity.
D
D. Forcible Fondling - The touching of the prrivate bodyy parts of an
nother persson for the p
purpose
o
of sexual grratification, forcibly and
d/or agains
st that perso
on's will; orr, not forciblly or againsst the
p
person's will where the
e victim is in
ncapable off giving con
nsent becau
use of his/h
her youth orr
b
because of his/her tem
mporary or permanent
p
mental inca
apacity.
x Offenses - Non forc
cible
Sex
Unla
awful, non - forcible se
exual intercourse.
A
A. Incest - Non forcible sexual intercourse between
b
pe
ersons who are related
d to each otther
wherein
ma
within th
he degrees
arriage is prohibited
p
b
by law.
B
B. Statutory
y Rape - No
on forcible sexual
s
interrcourse with
h a person who is und
der the statu
utory
age of consent.
c
8
Aggravated Assault
An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated
bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely
to produce death or great bodily harm. (It is not necessary that injury result from an aggravated
assault when a gun, knife, or other weapon is used which could and probably would result in serious
personal injury if the crime were successfully completed.)
Robbery
The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or
persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
Burglary
The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. For reporting purposes this definition
includes: unlawful entry with intent to commit a larceny or felony; breaking and entering with intent to
commit a larceny; housebreaking; safecracking; and all attempts to commit any of the
aforementioned.
Motor Vehicle Theft
The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. (Classify as motor vehicle theft all cases where
automobiles are taken by persons not having lawful access even though the vehicles are later
abandoned including joyriding.)
Arson
Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house,
public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.
Hate Crimes
Simple Assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender
displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious serve or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent
broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration or loss of consciousness where
the victim is intentionally selected because of the actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of
threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to
actual physical attack where the victim is intentionally selected because of the actual or perceived
race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
Weapon Law Violations
The violation of laws or ordinances dealing with weapon offenses, regulatory in nature, such as:
manufacture, sale, or possession of deadly weapons; carrying deadly weapons, concealed or openly;
furnishing deadly weapons to minors; aliens possessing deadly weapons; and all attempts to commit
any of the aforementioned.
9
Drug
g Abuse Violations
V
Viola
ations of Sttate and loc
cal laws rela
ating to the
e unlawful p
possession,, sale, use, growing,
man
nufacturing, and makin
ng of narcottic drugs. The
T relevantt substance
es include: opium or cocaine and
d
theirr derivatives (morphine
e, heroin, codeine);
c
marijuana; syynthetic narcotics (Demerol, methadone);
and dangerous
s non-narco
otic drugs (b
barbiturates
s, Benzedrine).
uor Law Viiolations
Liqu
The violation off laws or orrdinances prohibiting:
p
acture, sale
e, transportiing, furnishing,
the manufa
posssessing of intoxicating
i
g liquor; maintaining un
nlawful drin
nking placess; bootlegging; operating a still;
furnishing liquo
or to a mino
or or intemp
perate perso
on; using a vehicle forr illegal tran
nsportation of liquor;
drinkking on a trrain or public conveyance; and all attempts tto commit a
any of the a
aforementio
oned.
(Dru
unkenness and driving
g under the influence are
a not inclu
uded in thiss definition.)
Sec
curity Policies
P
s and P
Proced
dures
UHDPS compiles and publish
hes this Ann
nual Securitty Report on
n or before
Octobe
er 1. The re
eport can be
e downloade
ed at
http://w
www.uh.edu
u/police/annu
ualreport.httml.
an also call (713)
(
743-0
0590 or e-mail police@u
uh.edu and request a
You ca
copy be
b mailed to you. UHDP
PS gathers statistics fro
om all “campus security
y
authoriities” as deffined by the Clery Act fo
or inclusion in this report. UHDPS
receive
es monthly reports
r
of crrimes reportted to the C
City of Houstton Police
Departtment on pu
ublic propertty adjacent tto the Unive
ersity of Hou
uston
cam
mpus and in or on non-c
campus build
dings or pro
operty. UHD
DPS cross-rreferences tthese incide
ents with
thosse in its own files to avo
oid duplicatio
on of statistics.
Thiss publication
n contains in
nformation about
a
on- an
nd off-campu
us resource
es and is ma
ade availablle to all UH
com
mmunity mem
mbers. The information about “reso
ources” is no
ot provided to infer thatt those reso
ources are
“crim
me reporting
g entities” for UH. Crime
es should be
e reported to
o ensure incclusion in th
he annual
o UHDPS to
crim
me statistics and to aid in
n providing timely
t
warning notices to the comm
munity, whe
en appropria
ate.
Incid
dents reporrted to UHD
DPS that falll into one of
o the requirred reportin
ng classifica
ations will b
be
discclosed as a statistic in this annual report pub
blished by U
UHDPS.
For the purpose of making
g timely warning to the
e Universityy of Houston communiity, reports of crimes
and emergenciies should be
b made directly to the
e UHDPS. When the ccrime or em
mergency co
oncerns
the ssafety and welfare of the
t Univers
sity of Hous
ston commu
unity, UHDP
PS issues a Security Alert.
Alc
cohol Po
olicy
As a
an institution interested
d in the inte
ellectual, ph
hysical and psychological well-be
eing of the ccampus
com
mmunity, the
e University
y of Houston deems it important tto curtail the
e abusive o
or illegal use of
alco
oholic beverrages. All members
m
off the Univerrsity of Houston comm
munity and g
guests are required to
com
mply with fed
deral, state and local laws regard
ding the disttribution, po
ossession a
and consum
mption of
alco
oholic beverrages. (See
e the UH Sttudent Hand
dbook 2010
0 - 2011, pa
age 69 for a summaryy of federal,
state
e, and local laws regarding alcoh
hol usage.)
10
0
It is University policy that the possession, consumption, and/or distribution of any alcoholic or
intoxicating beverage in an open receptacle or a container which has been opened are prohibited in
any public area of the University of Houston campus except at:
1.
Events for students (including events planned by staff or faculty for
students and events sponsored by students or student organizations)
authorized by the Dean of Students Office in accordance with the Alcohol
Distribution Policy as stated in the UH Student Handbook 2010-2011,
page 70;
2.
Faculty/staff events authorized by the president, vice presidents, associate
or assistant vice presidents, deans or academic department chairs; and
3.
The University of Houston Hilton Hotel and on-campus restaurant or food
service areas where alcohol is legally distributed or sold.
The term “public area” is defined as campus parking lots, campus grounds or any outside enclosed
area or portion thereof, to which the public is invited or given general unrestricted access, as well as
the inside classrooms, lobbies, lounges, corridors and restrooms of the campus buildings.
An individual or group that sponsors an event at which alcoholic beverages are made available is
responsible for adherence to the applicable laws and applicable university policies. (See UH Student
Handbook 2010-2011, page 70)
Confidentiality
UHDPS strives to protect the identity of those reporting crimes to the extent that the law allows.
UHDPS does not usually accept anonymous reports unless the information can be substantiated by
means other than the caller’s veracity.
Crime Prevention Programs
UHDPS offers a variety of crime prevention programs to our community members. These programs
are available by request:














Personal Safety Awareness
Operation ID
Residential and Office Security
Sexual Assault Awareness
Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention
New Student and Employee Police Service Orientation
Community Dialogue
Failure to Safeguard Program
Bike Registration
Rape Aggression Defense (RAD)
Alcohol Awareness
Drug Awareness
Contact Person and Failure to Safeguard Program
Walk in the Dark (Safety and Security Audit with Students, Faculty and Staff)
11
Crim
me prevention is imporrtant to the campus co
ommunity and you can
n help by reporting anyy crime or
susp
pected crim
me to the Un
niversity Po
olice immed
diately. By d
doing so, yo
ou may be preventing someone
else
e from becoming a victtim of a morre serious crime.
c
Policce officers a
assigned to
o your beat and patrol
area
a will be gla
ad to give demonstratio
ons and talks to intere
ested campus groups. Call our crrime
prevvention num
mber, (713) 743-0417 or
o e-mail us
s at preven
ntcrime@uh
h.edu for ad
dditional info
ormation.
More crime pre
evention infformation is
s available on
o our policce department Website at
http://www.uh.e
edu/police/c
crime_prev
vention.html.
Drug
g-Free Workplac
W
ce Policy
y
e policy of the Universsity that illiciit drug use,, including ttheir
It is the
manufa
acture, sale
e, distributio
on, dispenssation, posssession, or use is
prohibited in the workplace,
w
o
on the cam
mpus, or as part of anyy university
activitie
es (See UH
H Student H
Handbook 2
2010-2011, page 80 an
nd UH Stafff
Han
ndbook page 37). Sanc
ctions impo
osed for violation of this policy are
e indicated below.
App
plication off Policy
T
The Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Policy is supp
ported by a drug-free a
awareness and
a
alcohol edu
ucation prog
gram availa
able to the faculty,
f
stafff and stude
ents of the u
university. S
Specific
ccompliance and reportting items enumerated
e
d below (items B, C, D
D, E) are applicable to all persons
s
e
employed on
o federal contracts
c
an
nd grants. The
T policy ccan be acce
essed at
h
http://www.rresearch.uh
h.edu/PCC//CPHS/Dru
ug.pdf.
In support of this
t
policy
y, the Unive
ersity:
a. Has
H establis
shed a drug
g free and alcohol
a
abusse awarene
ess program
m to inform
its faculty, sttaff, and stu
udents about the dang
gers of drug
g and alcoh
hol abuse in
n
th
he workplac
ce. The Un
niversity's policy
p
also a
addresses m
maintaining
g a drug and
alcohol free workplace,, and availa
able drug an
nd alcohol counseling,
ehabilitation, and emplo
oyee assisttance progrrams. The policy also
o addressess
th
he penalties
s that may be imposed
d upon emp
ployees for drug and a
alcohol
abuse violattions.
b. Will
W provide each stude
ent and employee a co
opy of this p
policy. In ad
ddition, all
fa
aculty, stafff, and stude
ents will be notified of tthis policy tthrough app
propriate
publications.
c. Will
W notify ea
ach univers
sity employe
ee and eacch student tthat, as a co
ondition of
employmentt on a federral grant or contract, th
he person, once so em
mployed,
must
m
abide by
b the term
ms of the policy, and m ust notify h
his/her supe
ervisor and
th
he Departm
ment of Hum
man Resourrces of any criminal drrug statue cconviction
fo
or a violatio
on occurring
g in the worrkplace not later than ffive days affter such
conviction.
d. Will
W notify th
he appropria
ate federal agency witthin 10 dayss after rece
eiving notice
e
of criminal drug
d
statute conviction of any univversity emp
ployee enga
aged in
e of the gra
ant or contra
act.
performance
12
2
e. Will impose sanctions on, or require the satisfactory participation in a drug
abuse assistance or rehabilitation program, by any employee so convicted.
Sanctions imposed on employees for violation of this policy may include
suspension, suspension without pay, and termination.
f. Will make a good faith effort to continue to maintain an environment that complies with
the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-free Schools and Communities Act
of 1989.
g. Will conduct a biennial review of its programs to assess their effectiveness, what
changes need to be made, and to ensure the uniform application of sanctions to
employees and students.
Implementation
Implementation of this policy is a joint responsibility of the Department of Human Resources, the
Office of Sponsored Programs, UHDPS, the Office of Financial Aid, and the Division of Student
Affairs. Notification of the program, including information about health risks and sanctions for violation
of the policy, will be provided annually to students and employees. In addition, the University is
committed to monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of this program. A biennial review of the
program will be undertaken to (1) determine its effectiveness and implement changes to the program
if they are needed and (2) ensure that its disciplinary standards are consistently enforced (UH
Student Handbook 2010-2011, page 81).
Penalties for Violation of the Policy
The University policy prohibiting the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and
alcohol on the campus and at University sponsored events held off campus protects and supports the
employees and students of the University of Houston. Therefore, any employee admitting to or
convicted of the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol on the campus or
at University sponsored events held off campus will be subject to disciplinary action (up to and
including suspension, suspension without pay, and termination), may be referred for prosecution, and
may be required to satisfactorily participate in a drug and alcohol assistance or rehabilitation program,
as agreed upon between the employee, the Department of Human Resources, and Counseling and
Psychological Services. Any student admitting to or proven to have violated the University of
Houston's Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures regarding the unlawful possession, use or
distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol on campus or at University sponsored events (see UH Student
Handbook 2010-2011, Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures, page 65) will be subject to
disciplinary action (up to and including probation, suspension, and expulsion), may be referred for
criminal prosecution, and may be requested to satisfactorily participate in a drug and alcohol
assistance or rehabilitation program. Further information concerning employees is available from the
Department of Human Resources at (713) 743-3988.
In addition, there are penalties under Texas and federal law. For more information on the range of
penalties, refer to the Drug Free Workplace Policy Brochure or contact the Dean of Students Office.
Education of Members of the University Community
Campus security and fire safety procedures are discussed during new student orientation. UHDPS,
the Dean of Students Office, and Housing Programs Department officials, participate in forums, town
hall meetings, and programs in residence halls to address students and to explain University security,
13
publlic safety, and
a fire safe
ety measure
es and proc
cedures at UH. Memb
bers of UHD
DPS condu
uct crime
prevvention and
d general se
ecurity and safety awa
areness pre
esentations when requ
uested by ca
ampus
com
mmunity groups, including studentts and emp
ployees of th
he Universiity. During tthese prese
entations,
the ffollowing in
nformation is typically provided:
p
crime preven
ntion tips; sstatistics on
n crime at U
UH; fire
safe
ety informattion; informa
ation regard
ding campu
us security proceduress and practtices, includ
ding
enco
ouraging pa
articipants to
t be respo
onsible for their own se
ecurity/safe
ety and for tthe securityy/safety for
othe
ers on camp
pus. In addition, UHDP
PS organize
es and setss up crime p
prevention and education display
y
table
es which arre staffed by an officerr(s) at vario
ous location
ns througho
out the yearr. This activvity
provvides an opportunity fo
or UHDPS staff
s
to hand out safetyy-related in
nformation, as well as to answer
indivvidual ques
stions.
New
w employee
e orientation
n includes the distributtion of crim e preventio
on materialss to all new
w
emp
ployees.
Em
mergenc
cy Response
University dep
partments a
are responssible for devveloping co
ontingency
plans and con
ntinuity of op
perations p
plans for the
eir staff and
d areas of
res
sponsibility. UHDPS p
police office
ers and supervisors ha
ave
rec
ceived trainiing in Incide
ent Comma
and and Re
esponding tto Critical
Incidents. Wh
hen a seriou
us incident occurs tha
at causes an
n
imm
mediate threat to the ccampus, the
e first respo
onders to th
he scene
are
e usually UH
HDPS, HPD
D and the H
Houston Firre Departme
ent (HFD)
fire
e and Emerg
gency Med ical Service
es. These agencies tyypically
res
spond and work
w
togeth
her to mana
age the incident. Depe
ending on
the n
nature of th
he incident, other UH department
d
ts and othe r local or fe
ederal agen
ncies could also be
invo
olved in resp
ponding to the inciden
nt. General information
n about the
e emergenccy response
e and
evaccuation procedures for UH are pu
ublicized ea
ach year ass part of the
e institution’’s Clery Actt
com
mpliance effo
orts.
Em
mployee and Stu
udent As
ssistanc
ce Progrram
The University of Houston
n Counselin
ng and Psyc
chological S
Services (C
CAPS) offerr the following drug
ation, counseling, reha
abilitation, a
and assista
ance progra
ams and se
ervices:
and alcohol abuse informa
1.
nformation
n and Referrral
In
All
A members
s of the univ
versity com
mmunity are
e eligible to consult witth the profe
essional
sttaff of CAPS regarding
g the availa
ability of dru
ug abuse asssistance p
programs. D
Drug and
alcohol abus
se counseling and rehabilitation p
program refferrals are routinely m
made to
mutual
m
help organizatio
ons, private
e hospitals, public treatment programs, and private
drug treatme
ent practitio
oners. It als
so maintainss a collectio
on of resou
urce materia
als
pertinent to issues of drug abuse. In addition
n, Wellness Education and Prevention
Services
S
pro
ovide educa
ation on alc
cohol/drug a
abuse and related con
ncerns for th
he campus
community.
2.
Employee
E
Assistance
A
e Program (EAP)
14
4
The EAP provides services to campus faculty and staff that include information, referral,
evaluation, consultation, and short-term problem solving. More information is available
at the EAP website http://www.uh.edu/work-life/employee-assistantprograms/index.php.
3.
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling is available for UH students, faculty and staff who are seeking
assistance with personal concerns. Common client concerns include depression,
anxiety, stress, interpersonal conflict, identity, trauma recovery, and career indecision.
Couples counseling is available to UH students, faculty, staff and their partners;
partners do not need to be affiliated with UH. Students may receive up to 10 free
individual / couples sessions every academic year, beginning with the fall semester.
Students are limited to a lifetime total of 40 individual / couples sessions while enrolled
at UH.
After the initial 10 sessions a minimal fee is required and is determined on a sliding
scale based on the student's income. Faculty and staff are eligible for up to 3 free
individual / couples sessions after which, a referral can be made to a community
agency. More information is available at the CAPS website http://www.caps.uh.edu/.
4.
Group Counseling
Group counseling is a popular CAPS service. Individuals meet weekly with other
members and 1 or 2 therapists to explore new ways of coping and to learn more about
their interactions with others. Several "mixed" therapy groups and theme oriented
groups (e.g., international student support) are offered at CAPS each semester. There
is no fee for students, faculty, and staff to participate in group, and no session limit.
5.
Crisis Intervention
An individual experiencing a crisis can come to CAPS at any time during office hours
and receive an in-person evaluation. In the event of an after-hours crisis, call UHDPS
at (713)743-3333 and ask to be transferred to your therapist or the "Clinician on Call".
6.
Mutual Health Groups
Individuals are assisted in forming groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and ALANON
and information concerning these groups is maintained for dissemination to interested
persons.
7.
Houston Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse
Offers short-term counseling for anyone affected in any way by alcohol or other drug
abuse. Trained alcohol and drug abuse counselors can help select a 12- step program
(AA, A.L.A.N.O.N., NA, CA, etc.) and/or appropriate treatment.
Their address is
303 Jackson Hill Street, Houston. Phone (713) 942-4100.
15
F
Further info
ormation reg
garding these program
ms and servvices may b
be secured from the University off
H
Houston Co
ounseling and Psychollogical Serv
vices locate
ed in Room
m 226 of the
e Student Service
C
Center. Pho
one (713) 743-5454.
7
Enfforceme
ent Auth
hority
UHD
DPS is the primary
p
pollice authoritty for the University off Houston. U
UHDPS police officerss are
certiified Texas Peace Officers as deffined in artiicle 2.12 off the Texas Code of Crriminal Proccedure.
Purssuant to Se
ection 51.20
03 of the Te
exas Educa
ation Code, the primaryy jurisdictio
on of UHDP
PS Officers
inclu
udes all cou
unties in wh
hich propertty is owned
d, leased, re
ented, or ottherwise un
nder the con
ntrol of the
Univversity of Houston. Within their primary
p
juris
sdiction, UH
HDPS Officers:
v
with all the pow
wers, privileges, and im
mmunities o
of peace offficers;
1) are vested
2) may arrest without warrantt any perso
on who viola
ates State llaw, in acco
ordance witth Chapter
o the Texas
s Code of Criminal
C
Pro
ocedure;
14, of
3) and may
m enforc
ce all traffic laws on strreets and highways.
Purssuant to Se
ection 51.21
10 of the Te
exas Educa
ation Code, UHDPS Officers are a
also empow
wered to
enfo
orce the rule
es and regu
ulations of the
t Univers
sity of Housston.
esponsible for respond
ding to and
d investigatiing crimes o
on the Univversity of
The UHDPS is primarily re
uston campu
us.
Hou
UHD
DPS regularly works with
w the City
y of Houston Police De
epartment, the City of Houston Fire
Dep
partment, th
he Harris Co
ounty Sheriiff’s Departm
ment and o
other area la
aw enforcement agencies on
crim
minal investigations. Th
he UHDPS often gives
s and seekss assistance
e from othe
er federal, sstate,
coun
nty, and loc
cal law enfo
orcement ag
gencies.
Firea
arms and
d Weapo
ons Poliicies
c
to
t maintain ing a safe a
and secure
e environme
ent that
UH is committed
supporrts the acad
demic missiion of the U
University. A
According to the UH
Violenc
ce on Camp
pus Policy a
and Texas Penal Cod
de, memberrs of the UH
H
commu
unity, includ
ding facultyy, staff, and students, a
as well as vvisitors to
any of the UH cam
mpuses, are
e prohibited
d from posssessing fire
earms,
ons, or anyy item that m
may be con
nstrued as ssuch, on
explosives, weapo
emises (as defined
d
by Texas Pen
nal Code 46
6.035) of the
e
the pre
Univers
sity or in an
ny building under Univversity contrrol, whethe
er or not a
federall or state lic
cense to po
ossess the ssame has b
been issued
d to the
posses
ssor. There are some limited exce
eptions to tthis policy; for
examp
ple certified and license
ed law enfo
orcement pe
ersonnel w
who are
authoriized to carrry a firearm are permittted to do so on UH prroperty. UH
H
ate the use of firearms or weapon
ns on Unive
ersity owned
d, controlled, or leased
d
doess not tolera
prop
perties. UHD
DPS has an
nd will conttinue to inve
estigate an y threat to the safety o
of the Unive
ersity in
orde
er to protect all membe
ers of the University
U
co
ommunity a
and their gu
uests.
16
6
Additionally, anyone found violating the University’s policies or state law shall be subject to the
disciplinary policies and procedures applicable to students, faculty, or staff and/or criminal
prosecution by the appropriate jurisdiction.
Notification of Missing Students
The University is committed to creating and maintaining an institutional environment which promotes
the safety and well-being of its students. To this end, the University has established a policy and
procedure designed to identify and assist enrolled UH students who reside in on-campus housing and
who have been reported missing for more than 24 hours. This policy is enacted in compliance with
the requirements outlined in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.
1. All on-campus residents will be informed that they have the option to identify an individual that
the institution can contact no later than 24 hours after the time that the student is determined to
be missing.
2. The UH Department of Residential Life and Housing will provide each on- campus resident a
method of registering confidential contact information for the individual that they identify as the
person to be contacted in the event that they are determined to be missing for more than 24
hours.
3. The UH Department of Residential Life and Housing will inform each on-campus resident
under the age of 18 (who is not emancipated) that they must register contact information for a
custodial parent or guardian to be contacted in the event that they are determined to be
missing for more than a 24 hour period.
4. Any person who suspects that an on-campus resident has been missing for more than 24
hours should immediately contact UHDPS, the Office of the Director of Residential Life and
Housing, or the Dean of Students Office. Any information regarding a suspected missing
student provided to the Office of the Director of Residential Life and Housing or the Dean of
Students Office will be immediately reported to UHDPS.
5. If an investigation conducted by UHDPS concludes that the subject of a missing person report
has been missing for more than 24 hours and has not returned to campus, UHDPS will initiate
communication with the emergency contact that the on-campus resident has designated.
Residential Life and Housing will be responsible for providing access to the emergency contact
information to UHDPS on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis through its on-duty or on-call
staff.
6. If the on-campus resident who is the subject of a missing person report has not designated an
emergency contact, UHDPS will conduct an investigation using guidelines established by the
Texas Department of Public Safety Bureau of Information Analysis Missing Person Clearing
House Unidentified Persons/DNA Unit.
Reporting Criminal Activity
Community members, students, faculty, staff, and guests are encouraged to report all crimes and
public safety-related incidents to UHDPS in a timely manner. Requests for police assistance or
reports of suspected criminal activities and emergencies for on-campus matters may be made 24hours a day, 7 days a week, as follows:
17
In Person
The University of Houston Police Building is located at 3869 Wheeler St, south of Robertson
Stadium, at Entrance 12 and Wheeler. The department’s dispatch center is located in the lobby
area and is manned 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
By Telephone
o FOR EMERGENCIES, DIAL 9-1-1.
o FOR NON-EMERGENCIES, DIAL (713) 743-3333
On-line (non-emergency only)


e-mail: police@uh.edu
on-line reporting form: http://www.uh.edu/police/offensereport.html
By Emergency Call Box
Emergency call boxes are located throughout the campus and provide instant contact with
UHDPS. The call boxes are either pole or wall mounted, are brushed steel or Cougar red, and
have “Emergency/Information” signs above them. The call boxes also have a blue light on the top
of them for increased visibility. Please refer to the campus map for specific call box and Code
Blue locations. Emergency telephones and call boxes are checked weekly for operability.
UH System at Cinco Ranch
A security officer is assigned to this facility. Should you need assistance concerning an escort,
safety or security matter, contact the security officer on duty by calling (832) 842-2877. If the
security officer is not available during an EMERGENCY situation, you should dial 911.
A notification process exists which will permit UHDPS to respond and conduct follow-up
investigations of incidents that occur at this facility. You can call UHDPS at (713) 743-3333 to
initiate this service. Should you desire to schedule crime prevention programs noted within this
document please call our Crime Prevention Unit at 713-743-0616.
Crime statistics for this location are included in this report.
UH System at Sugar Land
A security officer is assigned to this facility. Should you need assistance concerning an escort,
safety or security matter, contact the police officer or security officer on duty by calling (281) 2753302 or request assistance from the front office staff. If the security officer is not available during
an EMERGENCY situation, you should dial 911.
A notification process exists which will permit the UHDPS to respond and conduct follow-up
investigations of incidents that may occur at this facility. You can call UHDPS at (713) 743-3333
to initiate this service. Should you desire to schedule crime prevention programs noted within this
document please call our Crime Prevention Unit at (713) 743-0616.
Crime statistics for this location are included in this report.
18
Univ
versity Cen
nter at Woodlands
T
To request police assis
stance, con
ntact the Lo
one Star Co
ollege Syste
em Police D
Departmentt at 2812
290-5911 or dial 911. A notification process
s exists which will perm
mit the UHD
DPS to resp
pond and
cconduct follow-up inve
estigations of
o incidents
s that may o
occur at thiss facility. Th
he Lone Sta
ar College
A
Annual Sec
curity Reporrt can be ac
ccessed at::
h
http://www.llonestar.ed
du/departme
ents/polices
safety/2009
9_Annual_S
Security_Re
eport.pdf
cover U at the Houstton Commu
unity Colle
ege System
m (HCCS) H
Health Scie
ence Cente
er
Disc
T
To request police assis
stance, call 713-718-8
8888. If the
e HCCS offficer is not on site during an
E
EMERGENCY situatio
on, you shou
uld dial 911
1. The Hou
uston Comm
munity Colle
ege System
m
A
Annual Sec
curity Reporrt can be ac
ccessed at http://www
w.hccs.edu/h
hccs/at-a-glance/districto
offices/hcc-police-depa
artment.
n strongly encourages individualss and organ
nizations to promptly re
eport
The University of Houston
mes and emergencies occurring
o
on
o the Unive
ersity camp
puses to the
e UHDPS. Campus se
ecurity
crim
auth
horities, as defined by the Clery Act,
A are required to pro
omptly repo
ort all crime
es affecting the
Univversity community to th
he UHDPS.
The University of Houston
n also strongly encoura
ages individ
duals and o
organization
ns to promp
ptly report
crim
mes that occ
cur off-camp
pus that afffect the Uniiversity of H
Houston community. P
Prompt reporting
ensu
ures that th
he appropria
ate police agency
a
for that
t
jurisdicction, as we
ell as UHDP
PS, may, wh
hen
apprropriate, wa
arn the Univ
versity com
mmunity and
d include th
he informatiion in the A
Annual Secu
urity and
Fire Safety Rep
port.
Stud
dent organiz
zations are
e encourage
ed to reportt any chang
ges in the lo
ocations of off-campuss housing
facilities that th
hey maintain
n to the Department of Campus A
Activities an
nd to UHDP
PS. Studen
nt
orga
anizations are
a also enc
couraged to
o report any
y criminal o
offenses tha
at occur at on and off-campus
even
nts that they sanction to UHDPS for inclusio
on in the An
nnual Securrity and Fire
e Safety Re
eport.
If asssistance is required frrom an outs
side agency
y, UHDPS w
will contactt that agenccy. If an asssault
shou
uld occur, staff
s
on scene, includin
ng UHDPS,, will offer th
he victim a wide varietty of services. UHDPS
S
emp
ploys a Coo
ordinator of Victim Serv
vices who is available to answer questions and assist victims in
iden
ntifying and obtaining the
t necessa
ary resourc
ces.
Resid
dence Halls
H
Access
s to residen
nce halls is restricted tto residentss, their apprroved
guests, and otherr approved members o
of the Unive
ersity comm
munity.
Reside
ents gain en
ntry by swip
ping their ca
ards in the card accesss readers.
Reside
ents are cau
utioned aga
ainst permittting strangers to enter the
building
gs and are urged to re
equire indivviduals seekking entry to
o use their
access
s cards. UH
HDPS office
ers patrol re
esidential arreas on a re
egular
basiis.
Hou
using Staff also
a
enforce
e security measures
m
in
n the halls a
and work w
with residents to achievve a
com
mmunity respectful of in
ndividual an
nd group rig
ghts and re
esponsibilitie
es. Housing
g and UHD
DPS staff
19
9
also conduct periodic educational sessions on prevention of various crimes, including sexual assault
and acquaintance rape.
Responsibilities of the University Community
Members of the University community must assume responsibility for their own personal safety and
the security of their personal property. The following precautions provide guidance.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Report all suspicious activity to UHDPS immediately.
Never take personal safety for granted.
Try to avoid walking alone at night.
Limit your alcohol consumption, and leave social functions that get too loud, too
crowded, or that have too many people drinking excessively. Remember to call
UHDPS for help at the first sign of trouble.
Carry only small amounts of cash.
Never leave valuables (wallets, purses, books, calculators, etc.) unattended
Carry your keys at all times and do not lend them to anyone.
Lock up bicycles and motorcycles. Lock car doors and close windows when leaving
your car.
Always lock the door to your residence hall room, whether or not you are there. Be
certain that your door is locked when you go to sleep, and keep
windows closed and
locked when you are not at home.
Do not leave valuables in your car, especially if they can be easily noticed.
Engrave serial numbers or owner’s recognized numbers, such as a driver’s license
number, on items of value.
Inventory your personal property and insure it appropriately with personal
insurance coverage.
Register your bicycle and laptop computer with UHDPS.
Security Alerts
Security Alerts are usually distributed for the following Uniformed Crime Reporting Program
(UCR)/National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) classifications: arson, criminal homicide,
and robbery. Alerts are considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts of the case and
the information known by UHDPS. For example, if an assault occurs between two students who have
a disagreement, there may be no on-going threat to other UH community members and a Security
Alert would not be distributed.
UHDPS receives information on incidents happening on campus from various offices/departments on
campus. If UHDPS confirms that there is an emergency or dangerous situation that poses an
immediate threat to the health or safety of some or all members of the UH community, UHDPS and
External Relations will collaborate to determine the content of the message. UHDPS and External
Relations will use some or all of the systems described below to communicate the threat to the UH
community, or to the appropriate segment of the UH community if the danger/threat is limited to a
particular building or segment of the population. UHDPS and External Relations will, without delay
and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and
initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the judgment of the first
responders, compromise the efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate
the emergency.
20
In the event of a serious incident that poses an immediate threat to members of the UH community,
the University has various systems in place for communicating information quickly. Some or all of the
methods of communication below may be activated in the event of an immediate threat to the UH
community. The methods of communication include network emails, emergency text messages that
can be sent to a phone or PDA (individuals can sign up for this service by going into PeopleSoft
system) and an external siren system that alerts individuals on campus to immediately go to
www.uh.edu/emergency to obtain emergency information.
The University will post updates during an emergency on the UH Emergency website. Individuals can
also receive recorded updates by calling call (713) 743-1000. UHDPS has vehicles equipped with
Public Address Systems that can be strategically placed throughout the campus to facilitate
communication of emergency information with the campus community.
All members of the UH community are encouraged to notify UHDPS of any situation or incident on
campus that involves a significant emergency, or any dangerous situation that may involve an
immediate or ongoing threat to the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and/or visitors to
campus. UHDPS has the responsibility of responding to, and summoning the necessary resources to
mitigate, investigate, and document any situation that may cause a significant emergency or
dangerous situation. In addition, UHDPS has a responsibility to respond to such incidents to
determine if the situation does in fact pose a threat to the community. If so, Federal Law requires that
the institution notify the campus community or the appropriate segments of the community that may
be affected by the situation.
Every business day the UHDPS publishes The Daily Crime Bulletin. This publication is a log of all
crime reported to the UHDPS and typically includes the case number, classification, date reported,
date occurred, time occurred, general location, and disposition of each crime.
The Daily Crime Bulletin is available 24-hours a day at UHDPS. It is also posted daily to our website
at http://www.uh.edu/police/dcb.html.
Security Escorts
UHDPS continually works with the university community to make the campus a safe place to learn,
work, and live. Our security escort service is designed for community members who have safety
concerns and desire having another present when traversing the campus. Based on availability,
either a UHDPS Police Officer or Security Officer will escort students, faculty and staff to locations
beginning and ending on campus. If you feel that you need an escort please call (713) 743-3333.
Security and Facility Maintenance
The Plant Operations department is a support organization dedicated to the educational mission of
the University of Houston. The Plant Operations department maintains the buildings, grounds and
utility systems, and provides custodial services for the University of Houston campus. Students are
encouraged to report maintenance problems such as missing lights, plumbing problems or elevators
that are not in service to the nearest departmental office and/or Plant Operations (713-743-4948).
Departmental staff will forward the reports to the appropriate unit in the Facilities Management
Department. If departmental offices are closed, please report any safety issues or emergency
conditions to UHDPS at (713) 743-3333 (non-emergency information) or 9-1-1 (emergencies only).
21
UHDPS surveys campus lighting nightly and monitors those areas having defects until the defect is
corrected. When maintenance is needed that affects the immediate safety and security of the
University community UHDPS personnel remains on site until the problem is corrected.
Residence hall staff makes regular rounds of the facilities on a daily basis checking for maintenance
problems that may pose a hazard to resident’s safety and security. All residence halls have
maintenance personnel on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to handle problems. Residence
hall staff may be reached at the following numbers:
Residence Hall
Cougar Place
Phone Number
Main Number
713-743-6045
Security Desk Number
713-743-6047
Main Number
713-743-6050
North Tower Security Desk Number
713-743-6057
South Tower Security Desk Number
713-743-6056
Service Center
713-743-6098
Main Number
713-743-6040
Security Desk Number
713-743-6044
Main Number
832-842-5648
Security Desk
832-842-5638
Bayou Oaks
Main Number
713-748-3707
Cambridge Oaks
Main Number
713- 748-2606
Cullen Oaks
Main Number
713- 748-3707
Cougar Village
Main Number
832- 842-6020
Moody Towers
Quadrangle
Calhoun Lofts
22
Sexual Assault
As defined by the Texas Penal Code, a stranger or acquaintance commits sexual assault through
forcible sodomy, forcible sexual penetration, however slight, of another person's mouth, anal or
genital opening with any object. These acts must be committed without the victim's consent either by
force, threat of force or violence, intimidation or through the use of the victim's mental or physical
helplessness of which the accused was aware or should have been aware. This mental or physical
helplessness is often caused by the induction of alcohol and/or drugs.
Sexual assault is a non-consensual act involving psychological manipulation, physical force, or
coercion. It is an act of aggression and violence, and a crime punishable under the laws of the State
of Texas by fines and incarceration ranging from two years to life imprisonment.
For the purpose of this report, the definition of sexual assault also includes any touching of an
unwilling person's intimate parts (defined as genitalia, groin, breast or breasts, or buttocks or clothing
covering them) or forcing an unwilling person to touch another's intimate parts. These acts must be
committed either by force, threat, intimidation, or through the use of the victim's mental or physical
helplessness of which the accused was aware or should have been aware. (See UH Student
Handbook 2010-2011, page 82.)
Administrative Sanctions
Rape, acquaintance rape, or other sex offenses (forcible or non-forcible) are violations of university
policy. The University of Houston is committed to eradicating these behaviors and will not tolerate
them. Following an on-campus disciplinary proceeding, sanctions may be imposed on faculty, staff or
students found in violation of university policy, which may result in separation from the university.
Refer to the 2010 – 2011 Student Handbook, page 65 for the complete range of sanctions and
disciplinary procedures, which address cases of alleged sexual assault committed by faculty, staff or
students.
Campus authorities are available to provide assistance in changing academic and living situations
after an alleged sexual assault if requested by the victim and if these changes are reasonably
available.
Response to Sexual Assault
Male Victims
While most victims of sexual assault are women, some men are also victims. Male victims at UH
receive the same services as women. Emotional support, counselling about options, information
about resources related to legal issues and medical treatment are available to assist all those
recovering from sexual assault.
Guidelines for Assistance
1. IF YOU ARE RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED:
•
•
Get to a safe place as soon as you can.
Try to preserve all physical evidence. Do not wash, use the toilet, or
change
clothing if you can avoid it. If you do change clothes, put all
clothing you were
wearing at the time of the attack in a paper, not
plastic, bag.
23
•
Get medical attention as soon as possible to make sure you are physically well and
to collect important evidence in the event you may later wish to take legal action.
•
•
Contact UHDPS (follow procedures outlined on page 21 of this report).
Talk with an advocate or a counselor who will maintain confidentiality, help
explain your options, give you information, and provide emotional support.
•
Contact someone you trust to be with you and support you.
2. MEDICAL TREATMENT
It is important to seek immediate and follow-up medical attention for several reasons: first, to assess
and treat any physical injuries you may have sustained; second, to determine the risk of sexually
transmitted diseases or pregnancy and take preventive measures; and third, to gather evidence that
could aid criminal prosecution. Physical evidence should be collected immediately, ideally within the
first 24 hours. It may be collected later than this, but the quality and quantity of the evidence may be
diminished.
3. REPORTING TO UHDPS
This can be done immediately by following the procedures addressed on page 21 of this document.
The reasons for reporting to UHDPS are:
1) to take action which may prevent further victimization, including issuing a crime alert to
warn the campus community of an impending threat to their safety;
2) to apprehend the assailant;
3) to seek justice for the wrong that has been done to you; and
4) to have the incident recorded for purposes of reporting statistics.
If you choose to report the incident, a UHDPS officer will take a statement from you regarding what
happened. The officer will ask you to describe the assailant(s) and may ask questions about the
scene of the crime, any witnesses, and what happened before and after the incident. You may have a
support person with you during the interview. NOTE: Reporting an incident is a separate step from
choosing to prosecute. When you file a report, you are NOT obligated to continue with legal
proceedings or University disciplinary action. Remember, you can choose whether or not to
participate in proceedings at any point.
4. CONFIDENTIAL REPORTING
If you are assaulted and do not want to pursue action within the University system or the criminal
justice system, you may still want to consider making a confidential report to UHDPS. With your
permission, a UHDPS officer can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your
identity. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter
confidential, while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With such
information, the University can keep an accurate record about the number of incidents involving
students, employees and visitors; determine where there is a pattern of assaults with regard to a
particular location, method, or assailant; and alert the campus community to potential danger.
24
Sexual Assault Programs
UHDPS has established programs that address educating community members in the area of sexual
assault prevention. The department also offers overlapping programs on campus personal and
property security. UHDPS schedules sexual assault prevention programs in the residence halls and
other areas of campus on a regular basis. Individuals or groups may also request this crime
prevention program by calling 713-743-0616 or 713-743-3333. An officer will be glad to coordinate
the program with you.
Other University departments such as the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS),
Substance Abuse Training and Education Program (STEPS), Health Center and Residential Life and
Housing offer additional educational programs concerning sexual assault prevention programs.
Representatives from these areas will work with you to coordinate a program on this topic.
The information contained within this report is designed to heighten your awareness concerning
sexual assault prevention. However, you may follow all the advice and safety tips recommended and
still find yourself confronted by an attacker. If it happens, you will have only seconds to decide your
method of defense, so you must prepare mentally for the possibility of being sexually assaulted.
Remember, if you are sexually assaulted, it is not your fault. The Texas Penal Code defines sex
crime offenses and provides penalty information for these offenses. The University of Houston also
has established procedures and penalties for similar violations committed by faculty, staff or students.
Sex Offender Registration
In accordance with the “Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act” of 2000, the Jeanne Clery Act and the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, UHDPS provides a link to the Texas Department
of Public Safety Sex Offender Database on our website. The link to this database is
https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/soSearch/default.cfm.
Shelter-in-Place Procedures – What it Means to “Shelter-in-Place”
If an incident occurs and the buildings or areas around you become unstable, or if the air outdoors
becomes dangerous due to toxic or irritating substances, it is usually safer to stay indoors, because
leaving the area may expose you to that danger. Thus, to “shelter-in-place” means to make a shelter
of the building that you are in, and with a few adjustments this location can be made even safer and
more comfortable until it is safe to go outside.
Basic “Shelter-in-Place” Guidance
If an incident occurs and the building you are in is not damaged, stay inside in an interior room until
you are told it is safe to come out. If your building is damaged, take your personal belongings (purse,
wallet, Cougar card, etc.) and follow the evacuation procedures for your building (close your door,
proceed to the nearest exit, and use the stairs instead of the elevators). Once you have evacuated,
seek shelter at the nearest University building quickly. If police or fire department personnel are on
the scene, follow their directions.
How You Will Know to “Shelter-in-Place”
25
A sh
helter-in-pla
ace notificattion may co
ome from se
everal sourrces, includ
ding UHDPS
S, Housing Staff
mem
mbers, othe
er University
y employee
es, the fede
eral or state
e governme
ent, HPD, orr other auth
horities
utilizzing the University’s emergency communica
c
ations tools..
Tre
espassin
ng
It is unlawful fo
or any perso
on to trespa
ass on the grounds
g
of any state in
nstitution off higher education of
y of the buildings, stattues, monuments, memorials, tre
ees, shrubs,
this state or to damage orr deface any
grassses, or flow
wers on the
e grounds of
o any state institutionss of higher e
education. (Texas Ed
ducation
Cod
de Section 51.204)
5
The governing board of a state institu
ution of higher education or its au
uthorized re
epresentatives may
refusse to allow persons ha
aving no leg
gitimate business to e
enter on pro
operty unde
er the board
d's control,
and may eject any person
n from the property
p
on his or her rrefusal to le
eave peace
eably on req
quest.
Iden
ntification may
m be requ
uired of any
y person on the properrty. (Texas Education Code Secttion
51.2
209)
Ca
ampus
s Crim
me Sta
atistics
s
The informatio
on below provides
p
co
ontext for the crime s
statistics rreported as
s part of compliance
e
with
h the Clery
y Act.
The prrocedures for
f preparin
ng the annu
ual disclosure of crime statistics
include
e reporting statistics to
o the Unive
ersity comm
munity obtained from
the following sourrces: Houstton Police D
Department, the Texas Medical
Centerr Police Department, tthe La Marq
que Police Departmen
nt, the Lone
e
Star College
C
Polic
ce, Houston
n Commun
nity College (HCC) Police, and
non-po
olice officials of the loccations liste
ed below. F
For statisticcal
purpos
ses, crime statistics
s
re
eported to a
any of these
e sources a
are
recorded in the ca
alendar yea
ar the crime
e was reporrted. A writtten
reques
st for statisttical informa
ation is made on an annual basiss to all
Cam
mpus Securrity Authoritties (as defiined by federal law) an
nd to all Un
niversity De
eans, Directtors, and
Dep
partment He
eads.
All o
of the statisttics are gatthered, com
mpiled, and reported to
o the University comm
munity via th
his
publlication, wh
hich is published by UH
HDPS. UHDPS also ssubmits the
e annual crim
me statisticcs
publlished in thiis report to the Departtment of Ed
ducation (ED
D). The sta
atistical info
ormation ga
athered by
the D
Departmen
nt of Educattion is available to the public thro
ough the ED
D website
http://www2.ed
d.gov/admin
ns/lead/safe
ety/campus
s.html. The
e statistics in
n this publiccation are p
published
in acccordance with
w the sta
andards and
d guidelines used by tthe FBI Uniiform Crime
e Reporting
g Handbook
k
and the relevan
nt federal la
aw.
s indicated in the statistics colum
mn for the fo
ollowing crim
me classificcations:
The number off incidents is
der/Non-Ne
egligent Ma
anslaughterr, Negligentt Manslaughter, Forcib
ble and Non
n-Forcible S
Sex
Murd
Offe
enses, and Aggravated
A
d Assault. For
F example
e, if an agg
gravated assault occurrs and there
e are three
victims, this wo
ould be counted as thrree aggrava
ated assaults in the criime statisticcs chart. T
The numberr
refle
ected in the statistics fo
or the follow
wing crime categories includes one offense per distinct operation:
Rob
bbery, Burgllary, Larcen
ny, Vandalism, and Arrson. For exxample, if fiive students are walking across
cam
mpus together and they
y are robbe
ed, this would count ass one instan
nce of robbery in the ccrime
statiistics chart. In cases of
o Motor Ve
ehicle Theftt, each vehicle stolen is counted as a statisttic. In
26
6
case
es involving
g Liquor Law
w, Drug Law
w, and Illeg
gal Weapon
ns violations, each perrson who w
was
arrested is indicated in the
e arrest sta
atistics. The
e statistics ccaptured under the “R
Referred forr
Discciplinary Ac
ction” sectio
on for Liquo
or Law, Drug
g Law, and Illegal Wea
apons viola
ations indica
ates the
num
mber of peop
ple the Dea
an of Stude
ents represe
entative refe
erred to the
e Office of S
Student Afffairs for
discciplinary acttion.
The definition of
o hate crim
me is a crimes in which
h the victim is intention
nally selecte
ed because
e of the
actu
ual or perce
eived race, gender,
g
religion, sexua
al orientatio
on, ethnicityy, or disability of the victim that
are reported to campus se
ecurity auth
horities or lo
ocal police agencies.
Univers
sity of Hous
ston
College
e of Optometry
27
7
UH Main Campus
Crime statistics in this document updated September 2015
Offense Type
Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter
Negligent Manslaughter
Forcible Sex Offenses
Non-forcible Sex Offenses
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Motor Vehicle Theft
Arson
Non-Campus
Buildings & Property2
0
Public
Property3
0
Total
0
Residential
Facilities
0
2008
0
0
0
0
0
2009
0
0
0
1
1
2007
0
0
0
0
0
2008
0
0
0
0
0
2009
0
0
0
0
0
2007
10
6
0
0
10
2008
5
4
0
0
5
2009
7
4
0
0
7
2007
0
0
0
0
0
2008
1
0
0
0
1
2009
0
0
0
0
0
2007
9
3
0
3
12
2008
6
0
0
3
9
2009
13
1
0
4
2007
2
1
0
2
17
4
2008
7
5
0
3
10
2009
7
2
0
2
9
2007
38
21
1
0
39
2008
22
16
0
0
22
2009
36
22
0
0
36
2007
16
3
0
0
16
2008
27
1
0
0
27
2009
15
0
0
1
16
2007
0
0
0
0
0
2008
1
1
0
0
1
2009
0
0
0
0
0
Year
On Campus1
2007
0
1
This Category includes all on campus incidents, including those listed in the “Residential Facilities” category,
so the two categories are cumulative, not duplicative.
2
Non-Campus Buildings & Property – Buildings and Property that are controlled by the University of Houston
central campus or a component thereof, but are not located on or adjacent to the campus proper.
3
Public Property – Property adjacent to the University of Houston central campus that is not under the control or
authority of the University of Houston.
28
Arrest/Referrals
Crime statistics in this document updated September 2015
Arrests
Drug
Violations
Liquor
Law
Violations
Weapons
Violations
Referrals
Year
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
On
Campus
41
28
17
23
48
38
3
5
1
Res
Facilities
22
14
9
18
22
22
1
2
0
NonCampus
Buildings
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Public
Property
7
12
10
3
7
7
1
2
0
Total
48
40
27
26
55
45
4
7
1
On
Campus
37
24
10
7
5
5
0
0
0
Res
Facilities
25
21
7
4
4
3
0
0
0
NonCampus
Buildings
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Public
Property
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
37
24
10
7
5
5
0
0
0
Hate Crimes
By Bias
Race
Gender
Ethnicity
Religion
Sexual
Orientation
Disability
Total
Year
On Campus
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
2007
2008
2009
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Residential
Facilities
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Non-Campus
Property
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Public Property
Total
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
29
Off-Campus UH Locations
UH System at Cinco Ranch
There were no reported crimes at this location for the 2007 -2009 reporting period.
UH System at Sugarland
There were no reported crimes at this location for the 2007 – 2009 reporting period.
Discover U (Texas Medical Center)
Houston Community College System Police Department is the primary campus security authority at
this campus. The University of Houston and Houston Community College System entered into a
partnership with several Texas Medical Center (TMC) institutions to jointly offer degree-granting and
licensure programs. Classes are offered at the Health Science Center in the TMC. There were no
reported crimes at this location for 2007 - 2009.
Methodist Hospital (Texas Medical Center)
The University of Houston entered into an agreement with Methodist Hospital to begin offering its
executive MBA program on site at Methodist Hospital. Classes began in the fall of 2005 and were
held on the first floor of Dunn Towers. The Clery crime statistics would reflect those that took place in
the areas immediately adjacent to the classroom; however, there were no reported crimes at this
location for 2007 – 2009.
University of Houston Coastal Center
5721 FM 2004, La Marque, Texas
There were no reported crimes at this location for the 2007 – 2009 reporting period.
University of Houston Texas Medical Center Annex
2151 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas
There were no reported crimes at this location for the 2007 – 2009 reporting period.
The University Center at the Woodlands
3232 College Park Drive, Conroe, Texas
The HCC Police Department is the primary campus security authority at this shared campus. Six
local universities provide classes at this facility.
There were no reported crimes at this location for the 2007 – 2009 reporting period.
College of Optometry Eye Clinics
30



Bridge Builders
B
Eye
e Clinic, 25
525 Lucas, Dallas, Texxas
Good Ne
eighbor Eye
e Clinic, 19
90 Height Blvd., Housto
on, Texas
La Nuev
va Casa De
e Amigos Ey
ye Clinic, 1809 North Main, Housston, Texass
There were no reported crrimes at the
ese location
ns for the 2
2007 – 2009
9 reporting period.
31
1
An
nnual Fire Safety
S
Repo
ort
The University of Houston
n publishes this Annua
al Fire Safetty Report a
as part of itss annual Clery Act
com
mpliance doc
cument. Th
his report contains
c
info
ormation on
n fire protecction system
ms, fire safe
ety
pracctices, and fire
f and life
e safety stan
ndards. Th
his report in
ncludes stattistics concerning the number of
firess, the cause
e of each firre, the num
mber of injurries and dea
aths related
d to a fire a
and the valu
ue of the
prop
perty damag
ge caused by the fire. The comp
pliance docu
ument is avvailable for review 24 hours a
day on the UHD
DPS website at www.u
uh.edu/fire//log.
Em
mergency
y Evacu
uation Drills
The UHDPS Fiire Marshal’s Office co
onducts emergency evvacuation d
drills for all rresidential ffacilities
each
h fall and sp
pring seme
ester. Stude
ents learn th
he locationss of the em
mergency exxits in the buildings
and are provide
ed guidance about the
e direction they
t
should
d travel whe
en exiting e
each facility for a shortterm
m building evacuation. UHDPS do
oes not tell residents in
n advance a
about the d
designated locations
for lo
ong-term ev
vacuations because th
hose decisions are afffected by tim
me of day, location of the
build
ding being evacuated
e
the availab
bility of the various
v
dessignated em
mergency gathering loccations on
cam
mpus and o
other such a
as the locattion and na
ature of the
thre
eat. In both
h cases, UH
HDPS and H
Housing sta
aff on the
sce
ene will com
mmunicate information
n to studentts regarding
g
the
e developing
g situation or any evaccuation stattus
cha
anges.
e purpose o
of evacuatio
on drills is tto prepare building
The
occ
cupants for an organizzed evacuation in case
e of a fire or
oth
her emergen
ncy. At UH,, evacuation drills are used as a
way
y to educatte and train
n occupantss of fire safe
ety issues
spe
ecific to the
eir building. During the drill, occup
pants
pra
actice drill p
procedures and familia
arize themselves with
the
e location off exits and tthe sound o
of the fire a
alarm. In
add
dition to edu
ucating the
e occupantss of each bu
uilding
abo
out the evacuation pro
ocedures du
uring the drrills, the
pro
ocess also p
provides the Universityy an opporttunity to
test the operatiion of fire alarm system
m compone
ents.
Fire
e and Liife Safetty Inspe
ections
al Life staff inspects the student ro
ooms on a monthly ba
asis. These
e inspection
ns will
The Residentia
ude a general assessm
ment of storrage and cleanliness o
of the room
m. The Univversity of Ho
ouston Fire
e
inclu
Marsshal’s Offic
ce also insp
pects the stu
udent room
ms at least o
once per scchool year. All Fire Ma
arshal
insp
pections are
e unannoun
nced. The purpose
p
of the inspecttions is to e
eliminate ha
azards by e
educating
the sstudent pop
pulation con
ncerning ite
ems that are
e acceptab
ble for use in their room
ms and the practices
asso
ociated with
h those item
ms. Studen
nts are prov
vided with th
he Residen
ntial Halls H
Housing and
d Service
Agre
eements wh
hich they must
m
read an
nd initial. These
T
agree
ements con
ntain inform
mation on th
he
insp
pection proc
cess and the rules and
d regulation
ns for reside
ential facilities. The in
nspections include a
visual inspectio
on of extens
sion cords, sprinkler heads, smokke detectorrs, fire extin
nguishers, a
and other
life ssafety syste
ems.
Each room will also be ins
spected for the presen
nce of otherr prohibited
d items such
h as candle
es, halogen
lightts, portable cooking ap
ppliances (ttoasters, ric
ce cookers,, and hot plates, etc.), extension cords
32
2
without circuit breakers, and for prohibited activities including smoking in the building, tampering with
life safety equipment, hanging items from the sprinkler heads and/or piping, etc. Prohibited items are
typically confiscated.
Fire Protection Equipment/Systems
All of the University Residential Life facilities are equipped with automatic smoke detection systems
and all, but one, are monitored by the UHDPS Dispatch Office. All but two of the facilities are have
full fire sprinkler coverage. Refer to page 43 to review the Residential Life Fire Protection Systems
Chart for information concerning fire detection, notifications, suppressions systems, etc. in each
residential facility
Fire Safety Amenities in UH Residential Facilities
FACILITY
24/7
Monitoring
Sprinkler
System
Smoke
Detection
Public
Address
Fire Ext
Evacuation
Plans and
Placards
Evacuation
Drills per
Year
Bates Hall
Bayou Oaks
Calhoun Lofts
Cambridge Oaks
Cougar Place
Cougar Village
Cullen Oaks
Phase 1
Cullen Oaks
Phase 2
Law Hall
Moody Towers
Oberholtzer Hall
Settegest Hall
Taub Hall
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
NA*
NA*
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NA*
NA*
Yes
2
2
2
2
2
2
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
2
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
2
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
2
2
2
2
2
*Cambridge Oaks and Cougar Place are two story Apartment style buildings with direct exterior
access from each apartment
Fire Safety Education
There are multiple fire safety educational opportunities for students, faculty and staff to receive
throughout the school year. Fire safety educational material is provided at both new employee
orientation and at the orientation for new students. The State of Texas Fire Marshal’s Office has
developed a program entitled “Have an Exit Strategy” and has provided extensive materials to
promote this program. The University has incorporated the program into the Fire Safety Training
which the University Fire Marshal’s Office provides.
33
Fire Safety Tips
Buildings are equipped with a variety of features that are designed to detect, stop and/or suppress the
spread of a fire.

A door can be the first line of defense against the spread of smoke or fire from one area to
another. Some doors, such as fire doors in corridors or stairwells of residence halls, are
designed to stand up to fire longer than those of an individual room. It is important that these
doors are CLOSED for them to work. Additionally, if a door has a device that automatically
closes the door, it should NOT be propped open.

Sprinklers are 98% effective in preventing the spread of fire when operating properly. DO NOT
obstruct the sprinkler heads with materials like clothing hanging from the piping.

Smoke detectors cannot do their job if they are disabled or covered by the occupant, which is a
violation of University Policy.

Almost ¾ of all fires that are caused by smoking material are the result of a cigarette being
abandoned or disposed of carelessly. Smoking is NOT PERMITTED in any UH building.
A daily fire log is available for review 24 hours a day on the UHDPS website at www.uh.edu/fire/log
and at the UHDPS records unit from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The
information in the fire log typically includes information about fires that occur in residential facilities,
including the nature, date, time, and general location.
Future Improvements in Fire Safety
All renovations and new construction at the University of Houston either meet or exceed the
requirements of the National Fire Protection Association 101 Life Safety Code. This includes the
installation of fire extinguishing systems appropriate for the hazards, state-of-the-art addressable
voice fire alarm systems, emergency lighting, etc.
Notification Process
UHDPS dispatchers monitor the campus via a proprietary fire alarm network 24-hours a day, seven
days a week. All alarms received either through the fire alarm network or other means will initiate a
“first responder” response including the Houston Fire Department being immediately notified if a fire
occurs in any University Building.
If a fire occurs in UH building, campus community members should immediately notify UHDPS at
(713-743-3333) or dial 911. UHDPS will initiate a response and can summon the fire department
quickly through this communication link. If a member of the UH community finds evidence of a fire
that has been extinguished, and the person is not sure whether UHDPS has already responded, the
community member should immediately notify UHDPS to investigate and document the incident.
The University has invested in “state-of -the-art” addressable voice fire alarm systems for the majority
of building on campus with the long-term goal of replacing all old fire alarm systems with the
addressable voice fire alarm system. The purpose of these systems is to alert members of the
campus community of potential hazards associated with an event in the building. UH community
members are expected to evacuate upon hearing a fire alarm in a facility.
34
The firre alarms alert commu
unity members of potential hazard
ds and
community memb
bers are req
quired to he
eed the warning and e
evacuate
buildin
ngs immedia
ately upon hearing a ffire alarm in
n a facility. U
Use the
neares
st stairwell and/or
a
exit to leave the building immediatelyy.
Com
mmunity me
embers sho
ould familiarrize themse
elves with th
he exits in e
each buildin
ng.
Whe
en a fire ala
arm is activa
ated, the ellevators in most buildings will sto
op automatically. Occu
upants
shou
uld use the stairs to ev
vacuate the
e building. If you are ca
aught in the
e elevator, push the emergency
phon
ne button. The
T emerge
ency phone
es in elevattors on cam
mpus typically ring to th
he UHDPS dispatcherr
or to
o a security
y desk.
Res
sidentia
al Life Ev
vacuatio
on Proce
edures
Residential Life
e and Hous
sing provide
es evacuatio
on procedu
ures either p
posted on tthe inside d
door of
each
h room or in
n the corrid
dors adjacen
nt to the roo
oms. Evaccuations pro
ocedures are included
d in the
orien
ntation pac
ckets and in
n training se
essions con
nducted by residential staff. Stud
dents receivve
inforrmation abo
out evacuattion and shelter-in-place procedu
ures during their floor m
meetings and during
othe
er education
nal sessions that they can participate in thro
oughout the
e year. The Residentia
al Staff
mem
mbers are trrained in th
hese proced
dures as we
ell and act a
as an on-go
oing resourrce for the sstudents
living
g in residen
ntial facilitie
es.
At th
he sound off the alarm,, secure your room (windows and
d doors) an
nd immediattely leave the area.
Leavve everything behind except
e
your key. Exit in an orderlly fashion (e
evacuation plans are posted on
each
h floor). Do not use ele
evators. Ke
eep calm. Move
M
away from the en
ntrances an
nd buildingss once you
are o
outside. Do
o not re-entter the build
ding until told to do so by your Re
esident Asssistant (RA)) or the stafff
persson in charg
ge. State firre code reg
gulations req
quire that a fire drill an
nd/or buildin
ng evacuattion be held
d
in re
esidence ha
alls every se
emester. Resident
R
and
d guest parrticipation a
and coopera
ation are m
mandatory.
The UHDPS Fiire Marshal’s Office prrovides add
ditional inforrmation con
ncerning the Universities General
ocedures an
nd Area-Sp
pecific Evac
cuation Proccedures du
uring trainin
ng sessionss for
Evaccuation Pro
Facu
ulty, Staff and
a Studentts.
Safe
e evacuatio
on will require familiariz
zation of the exits in e
each facility so that the
e evacuees use the
nearrest stairwe
ell and/or ex
xit from the facility. Sa
afe evacuattions also include not using an elevator has
a me
eans of esc
cape. The elevators th
hat have no
ot been reca
e departme
ent use mayy operate
alled for fire
erratically in a fire
f situation resulting in entrapment. The e
emergency phone in th
he elevatorss should be
e
used
d to notify the UHDPS
S dispatcherr should entrapment o
occur.
35
5
Statistics and Information Regarding Fires in UH Residential Facilities
2009
Cause of Fire
# of
Injuries
# of
Deaths
Property
Loss
Bates Residence Hall 11/20/09
Hot Plate on
Furniture
0
0
$70
Cullen Oaks
Apartments
01/22/09
Grease Fire
0
0
$15,000
FACILITY
Date
Cause of Fire
# of
Injuries
# of
Deaths
Property
Loss
Cullen Oaks
03/29/08
Intentional – chair
set on fire
1*
0
$6,000
FACILITY
Date
Cause of Fire
# of
Injuries
# of
Deaths
Property
Loss
Moody Towers
09/10/07 Grease Fire
Smoke Detector
12/16/07
Caught on Fire
0
0
$200
0
0
$100
FACILITY
Date
2008
2007
Cougar Place
* smoke inhalation by police first responder
36
Jurrisdictional Map
37
7