General Safety
Loss, Theft or Damage of Personal Property
The University cannot assume responsibility for articles that are lost, stolen and/or damaged. Students should consult with their parents or insurance agent regarding their homeowner’s policies and the type of coverage they provide or they may wish to contact:
Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc.
231 Salina Meadows
P.O. Box 4743
Syracuse, New York 13221-4743
This is a nationwide company devoted exclusively to insuring at minimal cost the property of students residing in dormitories.
Protective Measures for Belongings and Personal Safety
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Students should lock their room door and ground-floor windows when they leave. During long absences from campus, students should keep their bikes in their rooms for protection.
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Students should be aware of thieves who use the excuse that they’re “looking for a friend” in order to enter a dormitory room. They should get a good description of the person or persons and call the Department of Public Safety at 258-1000 immediately.
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Students should not leave personal property unattended in libraries, dining halls, gyms, eating clubs, etc.
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Students should lock their bikes to an immovable object with a high-quality lock. Do not lock bikes to handrails or wheelchair ramps. Students are encouraged to register their bikes with the Department of Parking and Transportation at http://web.princeton.edu/sites/publicsafety/BikeRegistration.htm.
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Students should take advantage of high-security storage during breaks.
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If a student has been entrusted with keys to an academic building, he or she should never loan them out or prop doors open.
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Students should engrave their personal property and record serial numbers of their valuables. It is important that students have serial numbers when filing insurance claims and police/public safety reports.
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Students should always use common sense in matters of personal safety. They should:
- walk in well-traveled and well-lit areas or use the campus shuttle http://www.princeton.edu/transportation/tigertransit.htm;
- refrain from using shortcuts, since they are usually in isolated, poorly lit, or lightly traveled areas;
- have someone accompany them during late-night or early-morning travel on campus, or call the Department of Public Safety at 258-6861 for assistance. Personnel are on duty around the clock;
- park their automobile in a well-lit, highly visible area;
- check for the presence of loiterers before entering or leaving their car or dorm;
- not allow strangers into their dorm room; they should always ask for identification. University personnel and all outside service employees who might need to enter a room carry identification;
- be alert and observant;
- report incidents or suspicious activity to the Department of Public Safety immediately by dialing 911 from any University phone; Blue-light emergency phones are located around campus;
- promptly report any malfunctions of lighting or security systems to the Facilities Customer Service Center at 8-8000. Many lights around campus have been numbered to provide accurate identification; if a student can provide this number to the Maintenance Department, it would help assure that the proper light is repaired.
EMERGENCIES
For any fire, police, or medical emergency, students should call the Department of Public Safety at 911 immediately. The communications officer who answers the call is trained in handling emergencies. Students should give their location, describe the nature of the emergency, and be prepared to respond to the communications officer’s questions or instructions. In response to the call, the communications officer dispatches Department of Public Safety personnel and the appropriate local police, fire, or emergency medical teams to the location immediately. For routine information and assistance, students should call 8-1000.
Card Access System
Princeton University’s Card Access System combines the finest available mechanical and electronic technology with a sophisticated computerized database to automatically lock and unlock entryway doors. This system, now in place in the residential colleges, all upperclass dormitories, and some administrative buildings, is designed to protect the personal safety and property of the University community.
This system has the capability of providing a high level of security while minimizing inconvenience for the cardholders. Dormitory doors will be locked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Programming provides consideration for special events, religious holidays, etc. All dormitory entries are also locked at all times over breaks, unless instructions to the contrary are received in advance from authorized persons representing the departments, colleges, or cardholders directly concerned.
During the move-in period, the outside doors in the dormitories remain unlocked during the day. Once classes begin, the exterior doors of dormitories are locked 24 hours a day, and students will need a Tigercard to enter the building. Students’ room keys do not open the exterior doors. Tigercards are available during registration for first year and readmitted students. Upperclass students who have lost their proximity cards need to obtain a new one at the TigerCard office at New South-3rd Floor.
The proximity card unlocks the doors when it comes close to a reader mounted on the wall near the exterior doors. When a student brings the card within four inches of the reader, a green light appears, indicating that the door is unlocked. A student then has 15 seconds to open the door before it automatically relocks. When the door closes, the lock relocks and remains secure until the mechanism is activated again.
Students should not prop the doors open. If the door is propped open or does not close and lock within 25 seconds, an alarm will sound. The alarm continues until the door is properly closed.
The proximity card is to be kept for all the years a student remains a registered student.
It is incumbent upon card-holders to treat the cards and the system with respect and care. Lost, stolen, or malfunctioning cards should be reported to the Department of Public Safety immediately in order that they may be properly flagged or invalidated. Replacement cards can be obtained from the TigerCard Office in New South. Every effort should be made to ensure that doors are properly closed and that any acts of attempted vandalism or signs of damage are reported.
Found cards should be turned into the Department of Public Safety so that they can be checked by the on-duty communications officer and the owner notified.
A telekey system has been installed in conjunction with the electronic-locking system. Guests who wish to visit can call from phones located just outside of the entryways of the dormitories. The resident can deactivate the entry door lock by pressing #5 on their touch-tone telephone pad. The entry door then unlocks and remains open for a short time in order to permit the visitor access into the building. Students should note that only a true touch-tone telephone will operate this system.
The thrust of this project is to improve residential security. It does not, however, eliminate the need for normal security precautions, such as locking your room door.
Panic Alarms
Panic alarms have been installed in the basements of Holder, and 2 Dickinson St. dorms as well as McCosh Hall. They are to be used for emergency life-threatening situations only and will bring an emergency response from Public Safety.