Going out alone after dark in the city can be nerve-wracking for some, but it doesn't have to be — especially when UAB has multiple resources to help keep you safe on and around campus.
With a police force boasting 100-plus accredited officers, a fleet of marked and unmarked patrols monitoring campus and roughly 3,700 video cameras in campus buildings, parking decks and outdoor areas, UAB has invested in keeping its students and employees safe, and the campus remains among the lowest in incidents of sex-related offences, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary when compared to urban and non-urban universities in Alabama with more than 16,000 students — and regional peers such as Emory and Vanderbilt universities.
UAB also offers personalized options, such as smartphone apps and self-defense courses, to help you play an active role in your own personal safety. So make your phone an essential part of your safety plan.
Download the Rave Guardian app – and encourage your date, friends and family to as well – before you head out for the night.1. Download and use the campus safety app, Rave Guardian.
Rave Guardian is one of the easiest and best ways to ensure your personal safety as you’re traveling home from date night.
Once you download the Rave Guardian app, free to anyone with a UAB email address, users can request a virtual safety escort on their smartphone from a friend or family member who has also downloaded Rave Guardian — or from UAB Police.
2. Call the UAB Blazer Express Safety Escort Service.
If you plan to grab a late coffee, cocktail or dessert at one of the Southside’s restaurants or bars, be sure to add 205-934-8772 — the Safety Escort Service number — to your contacts list. Safety Escort runs on-demand 9 p.m.-5:30 a.m. every day, extending to Railroad Park to the north, Eighth Street to the West, 22nd Street to the east and 14th Avenue to the south.
With nearly 500 Help Phones, a UAB Police dispatcher is never more than a few feet away. Click the map to see the location of each one.3. Know where UAB’s 490-plus Help Phones are located.
Familiarize yourself with the Help Phones located on your daily routes; they are a direct link to the UAB Police Department and are monitored 24 hours a day.
Help Phones can be found in building hallways, elevators, parking lots, parking decks, between buildings and in other remote areas. To operate Help Phones in metal boxes, open the door and pick up the handset. To use the smaller, yellow Help Phones, press the red button once and wait for a dispatcher to answer. Elevator Help Phones are located behind a metal panel; to use, lift the handset and wait for the dispatcher.
Prepare to pack a punch
Women who want to augment UAB’s safety resources can sign up for its Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) program, an internationally recognized women’s self-defense and awareness training program that teaches physical defense tactics.
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Rape Aggression Defense courses (RAD) will be offered March 19-21, June 18-20 or Sept. 17-19 at UAB Police Headquarters. |
The twelve-hour course, taught in three four-hour sessions offered during the evening or two six-hour weekend sessions, teaches women to fight back effectively. See a class in action in this video.
The next RAD session offerings are March 19-21, June 18-20 or Sept. 17-19 at UAB Police Headquarters. To learn more or register, email or call Tonya Webb, twebb@uab.edu or 205-934-2409, or Deputy Chief Zandral Washington, zandralw@uab.edu or 205-996-2247.
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