Ohio State is experiencing some scary times. Having received over six OSU Crime Alerts since October 15th, Buckeyes are beginning to realize that college students are far from invincible, as much as we all like to think we are. Being safe on our campus is becoming a very real concern and we must all take these situations seriously. Students are being robbed and physically assaulted, sometimes at gunpoint. And collegiettes™, these attacks are not restricted to males—a female student was robbed less than two weeks ago.
So it is time that we all begin to take our safety into our own hands. The best way to avoid being the victim of a crime is to practice preventative safety measures.
Her Campus spoke to an officer in the Columbus Police Department (who wished to remain anonymous) and asked for some intelligent safety tips that we can all employ easily. Read the tips below and make a very dedicated effort to follow them—they could save your life.
Suggestions from the CPD:
· Do not go anywhere alone, especially at night.
· Know the area you are in very well; don’t take unfamiliar routes.
· Do not walk in alleys; stay on main, well-lit streets.
· Only carry one picture ID and some cash.
· Do not carry a bag if you can avoid it.
· If you have mace or a whistle, carry it in your hands.
· If you have keys, carry them between your fingers to sharpen your punch if you must defend yourself.
· Put five dollars in your back pocket and keep the rest in your front—when they ask for your cash, tell them it’s in your back pocket and keep quiet.
· If you’re being assaulted, throw anything you can at them.
· If you need to defend yourself, try to leave a mark on them so that they can be identified.
· Report your crime right away—the sooner the police get involved, the less ground your attackers can cover.
· Gather as many details of the attack as you can to help the police catch the criminals.
· Just give them what they want—your safety is more important than your cell phone.
Close-to-Campus Places to Get Mace:
· Cousins Army Navy: located on 8th Ave. and High Street (1453 N. High St.)
· Dick’s Sporting Goods: located at 3700 Easton Market, Columbus, OH 43219
Sources:
http://dps.osu.edu/police/crime_alerts/
Columbus Police Officer
Picture Source:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=osu+crime+alert&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1152&bih=521&tbm=isch&tbnid=kC1XSxl6N3zoYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.units.muohio.edu/psf/police/Campus_Crime_Alerts/previous/cca07-04.shtml&docid=Puo630m8FcpZQM&imgurl=http://www.muohio.edu/police/images/alert.gif&w=139&h=123&ei=R5rETragE8jagQeln4HdDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=543&vpy=208&dur=4&hovh=98&hovw=111&tx=74&ty=41&sig=101253848429813641329&page=6&tbnh=98&tbnw=111&start=54&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:54
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter.
