Campus Security Policy
The University of Oklahoma Police Department provides law enforcement services on the Norman campus. Anyone who is the victim of or observes a crime should contact the Police Department (OUPD) at 911 from any on-campus telephone. A follow-up will be conducted of any reported crime for which sufficient information is provided to enable officers to carry out an investigation. All crimes should be reported to enable the police to best utilize their resources.
Officers of OUPD are commissioned and sworn peace officers as authorized by state law, and have full law enforcement authority and powers. Additional noncommissioned uniformed employees (Community Service Officers, also known as “CSOs”) provide patrols in various sections of campus, including residential Housing, Traditions Square complexes, the academic area, and various locations on the Research Campus. University police officers are on duty 24 hours daily year-round. Additional uniformed student employees supplement police patrols in resident student housing areas during selected hours.
OUPD has a full-time crime prevention officer whose function is to develop and disseminate information to make members of the campus community aware of crime risks and enable them to reduce or eliminate risks and to deter or avoid crime. Among ongoing programs are “Operation Identification,” bicycle registration and a campus-wide outdoor emergency telephone network.
Crime awareness programming is provided for new students each fall and upon request to students or student groups throughout the year. OUPD also provides brochures on a number of prevention topics, including Operation ID, malicious telephone calls and sexual assault. OUPD co-sponsors the volunteer student escort service and is a participant in the Advocates for Sexual Assault Awareness, a community coalition. OUPD works closely with the Division of Student Affairs to develop and deliver new and additional programming as needs are identified.
Norman campus facilities normally are open for access during conventional business hours. Security hours for academic facilities are established by the budget unit which controls them; all residence halls have established security hours.
OUPD maintains an excellent working relationship with the Norman Police Department, which routinely informs OUPD of crimes occurring off-campus that involve or may be of concern to students. OUPD and NPD officers coordinate response to emergencies occurring in student group facilities near but off campus, and communicate regularly to maximize the effectiveness
of patrols.
Possession, use, and sale of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs are regulated by state law. The university has articulated a policy on prevention of alcohol abuse and drug use on campus and in the workplace. This and other policies are disseminated in the Student Handbook and the Faculty and Staff Handbooks.
The The University of Oklahoma Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (PDF) is prepared in compliance with 20 USC 1092 (f), the Clery Act, which is disseminated to all employees and current students and is available to employees and prospective students on request. To keep the university community informed of crime on the Norman campus, the Division of Student Affairs prints summaries of crimes reported to OUPD in the Campus Bulletin Board, which is published on Mondays as a supplemental feature of The Oklahoma Daily.
In addition, OUPD participates in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report program through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The annual UCR Report (Crime in America) is available in most public libraries.
