Prevention and policies

Historically, this has been a safe haven from the busy world. SMU’s campus and isolated wooded acres, recently encroached upon by the increasingly rapid growth of the City of Lacey and surrounding Thurston County, are beginning to experience the pressure of a growing population. No community is totally risk-free I today’s sometimes violent society. SMU recognizes the potential for increased crime associated with local growth and development and its location near Interstate-5, the West’s Coast’s main north-south corridor.

Saint Martin’s University works hard to ensure the safety of its community, faculty, staff, and students; however, each must take responsibility for their own personal property and safety. Crime does not magically stop at the edge of campus; the key to preventing crime is awareness, heightened through education. Public safety, campus and residence life and other employees and students help share responsibility for safety. The majority of crime on campus can be avoided with recognition that basic precautions will prevent most victimization. Basic precautions are the most effective means of maintaining personal security. Most crimes are crimes of opportunity; an individual walking alone in a dark area is susceptible to personal crime. Property left openly on a vehicle seat begs to be stolen. Common sense and good judgment can reduce a criminal’s opportunity and help reduce crime, creating a safe and secure environment for faculty, staff, students, and the public. For example, when walking across campus, or in parking areas at night, walk in groups or in pairs; additionally, SMU public safety offers an escort service to assist persons moving about campus after dark. Students living in SMU residence halls are reminded to keep their room doors locked at all times and never prop open the external doors to residence halls. guests of residence hall students must register their vehicles with the residence hall manager or resident advisor (RA) and display a SMU guest pass in the vehicle; guests should be escorted by a resident student at all times. All security concerns should be reported to the SMU Office of Public Safety immediately.

Valuable personal property should be engraved with the owner’s driver’s license number using equipment provided through SMU Office of Public Safety. Bicycles should be registered and secured with a good lock. Lock parked vehicles in a well-lit area with valuables removed or stored in the trunk. Notify SMU Office of Public Safety of any and all individuals present in a building or on campus who appears to have no legitimate business there or who arouses suspicion in any way. History and experience reveal that not all crimes/criminal activity is reported. SMU Office of Public Safety encourages reporting of all suspicious activity.

Crime prevention and reporting
The risk of crime is ongoing. Crime can occur anyplace and anytime. Awareness, diligence and precautions are logical and useful tools in crime prevention. Here are some examples of preventative measures:

Keep vehicles locked.
Never walk alone, especially at night.
Request an escort from the Office of Public Safety.
Don't leave valuables unattended.
Promptly report any suspicious activity to the Office of Public Safety and / or local police.

The Office of Public Safety offers a variety of programs to help safeguard members of the campus community. These programs include:

Escort and welfare check service.
Photo identity of personal property.
Serial number and property descriptions recording.
Property engraving.
Crime and safety awareness pamphlets.
Crime and safety awareness sessions.

Let the Saint Martin's University Office of Public Safety help you reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime. Visit us in Old Main, Room 251 or call 360-438-4555 (on-campus: ext. 4555).

General security procedures

Although the Saint Martin's University campus is fairly well-lit further improvements in campus lighting are continually being made including the placement of high intensity lights on buildings, in parking lots, in areas of heavy landscaping, and on sidewalks and pathways frequently traveled by students. Lighting and shrubbery surveys are conducted twice a year by security, campus and residence life, facilities management, and grounds. Safety and security concerns are identified and forwarded to the SMU safety Committee for action. In addition campus security assists Lacey Fire Department with annual fire inspections of all campus buildings.

SMU faculty, staff, and students have access to campus facilities; while the general public may attend numerous events on campus, access to the facilities in which these events are scheduled may be limited; similarly, unauthorized access to the University property or facilities may also result in a "criminal trespass" order being issued. The Saint Martin's University trespass policy is as follows: Only those persons having legitimate business with Saint Martin's University, members of the University or the Saint Martin's Benedictine community and their invited guests, are permitted on University property or in University buildings. The University reserves the right to exclude all persons not conforming to acceptable behavior from its premises. Those who disregard this warning are considered to be in violation of criminal trespass under RCW 9A.52.070 or RCW 9A.52.080 and may be issued a criminal trespass order; such orders will be issued through the SMU Office of Public Safety and Security or (by the University) through the Lacey Police Department.

Upon issuance of a criminal trespass order by Saint Martin's University security officers or Lacey Police, the person being served will be asked to immediately vacate the premises; failure to do so, or the return of a person served with a written criminal trespass notice will result in their arrest (by Lacey Police) for violation of an established criminal trespass order. Persons may also be arrested if found in a secure area for which they have no authorized, legitimate business. If a prior trespassed person reappears on campus, or if a person is found in a secured facility with no legitimate purpose to be there, he/she is subject to immediate arrest under RCW 9A.52.070 or RCW 9A.52.080.

Firearms and other dangerous weapons are not permitted on or in University facilities and property; this includes weapons inside vehicles parked on campus.