The University of Tennessee Police Department’s Operation Identification program teaches students, faculty and staff how to protect themselves and their valuables.
The UTPD shares some of their most popular suggestions for improving safety:
- Always Secure Your Valuables: Make sure you keep them out of sight if possible or locked up with a quality lock. Secure items when you leave your office or desk.
- Engrave Your Valuables: The UT Police Department offers engraving services for free. Also, many companies may offer to engrave your items for free or a nominal fee if you purchase from them. For example, Apple will engrave your iPod!
- Write Down Your Serial Number: In case of loss or theft, you may need your serial numbers to give to the police. Keep a detailed record of serial numbers and property descriptions in a secure place in case you need it.
- Bicycles: Use a high security lock, such as a U-Lock, Anchor the frame and both wheels to the bike rack.
- Laptops: Don’t ever walk away from an unsecured laptop. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to walk away with this expensive item. Not only will it be pricey to replace, think about all the files on your laptop that you might lose.
- Vehicles: Park in well-lit areas. Don’t leave any bags or any other items laying in open view. You may not have anything valuable inside, but a potential thief doesn’t know that. Also, know your license plate number and other information about your vehicle in case you ever need it.
- Textbooks: To increase your chances of recovering your textbooks in the event of theft, select the same page in each book and mark it so that you may identify the book in a police report or at a textbook store.
- Personal Identification: Guard your social security number and other personally identifiable information closely. Never give out that type of information to unsolicited callers or on unsolicited emails.
Contact the UT Police Department Community Relations Unit at 974-4674 to have personal items engraved and registered with the police department.