UNC Charlotte is taking additional safety precautions as it investigates last week’s cases of an intruder entering the dormitory rooms of several female students.
Campus police report that its response to the intrusions—including the campus-wide advisory it emailed to students, staff and faculty last Thursday—is producing tips that they are investigating.
Between 3 and 5 a.m. on Dec. 4, in Sanford Hall, female residents in four rooms on different floors awoke to find an unidentified male. In some cases, the male left the room after being seen. In others, he touched residents but did not physically injure them. Most, if not all, of the rooms had been left unlocked. The suspect was described as a white male; in his late teens or 20s; 5’7″ – 5’10” tall; medium build; dirty or dark blonde hair; dark outdoor jacket; dark pants.
Here are some of the steps the university is taking to secure Sanford Hall and other dorms:
- All dorms have swipe card entry. Cards work for the respective buildings only.
- Campus police has increased patrols around the dorm area.
- The Housing and Residence Life department has increased security within the dorm.
- As usual, a security guard is on-duty from 11:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. every night. The guard works at the front desk and patrols the dorm. Two additional security guards are patrolling the dorm during the evening.
- The exterior doors of all dorms are locked 24 hours a day ( normal procedure ) and prop alarms on doors are in working order ( alarm will sound if a door stays open longer than it should take for a person to walk through. The alarms are loudly audible).
- Housing is also implementing a high-level re-education campaign reminding students of safety tips. E-mails—in addition to the advisory issued by PPS— have been sent to all the students in the dorm to tell them of the incident and tell them how to be safe.
Director of Police and Public Safety Marlene Hall said campus police appreciates the fact that students are providing tips and acting as a community. “They are being good neighbors for each other.”
Campus police are also emphasizing the fact that they offer self-defense and personal safety programs. They will customize the programs for any group on request.
December 2008 press release.
