Welcome

OWU Department of Public Safety
Smith Hall Room 120  

24 hours a day dial 740-368-2222
or ext. 2222 from any campus phone
or activate any of the emergency blue lights on campus

Life Safety EMERGENCY dial 911

Mission Statement

The Department of Public Safety has as its primary responsibility the safety and security of all members of the University Community. Our goal is to keep the campus community in an environment that our students find to be conducive to learning, to suppress crime, and create a state of well being by the presence of ample lighting, emergency telephones, personal safety escorts and crime prevention. We appreciate the assistance of the Delaware Police Department in keeping our campus safe as well as the department’s efforts to keep the Delaware community safe.

We should keep in mind that the potential for crime does exist and, as such, each of us should assume a personal responsibility by taking precautions to avoid becoming a victim. We support the community-policing concept of fighting crime, which involves all members of the community.

From the Director’s Desk

In recent years, Delaware has been honored as one of “Ohio’s Best Hometowns” by Ohio Magazine and as one the nation’s “Best Places to Get Ahead” by Forbes. In both cases, Delaware’s low crime rate has contributed to these prestigious rankings.

City of Delaware statistics show that serious crimes are trending downward in the community—by as much as 18 percent since 2005. Despite this drop, Ohio Wesleyan students and employees are hearing more about neighborhood crimes than ever before. And we think that’s a good thing.

Ohio Wesleyan has embraced the national Clery Act, which requires universities to share information about local crime. Coupled with advances in technology that make it easier to share urgent news, Ohio Wesleyan is committed to making the campus as safe as possible for students, employees, and guests.

Uniformed OWU Public Safety officers patrol the campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we oversee a SAFEwalk escort service, available from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The service is based inside Beeghly Library and is available to students and employees. In addition, we have great partners in our efforts—with tireless assistance from the Delaware Police Department and Delaware Fire Department.

But we also need your help.

We encourage you to take responsibility for your personal safety. Here are a few basic safety tips that we urge you to follow:

• Carry a cell phone with you at all times. Pre-program the phone to call 911 and the OWU Public Safety Department at 740-368-2222.
• Call for help. If you witness a crime, call 911 immediately. You will be asked to provide a description of and a direction of travel for any suspect(s). If a vehicle is involved, get a license plate number if you can do so safely. Alerting the police immediately greatly increases the likelihood that the perpetrator(s) will be caught.
• Walk/jog with others and stay in well-traveled, well-lighted areas—especially at night. If you have personal safety concerns, you are encouraged to contact Public Safety and to utilize the SAFEwalk program.
• Let Public Safety know where you are. Faculty and staff working alone late at night, early in the morning, or on weekends are encouraged to contact Public Safety to let us know your location.
• If you feel threatened, get to a safe place as quickly as possible. This includes entering a local business and then calling police when you feel you are out of immediate danger.
• Keep doors locked, do not prop doors open, and do not allow strangers to follow you into a locked building. If you are not comfortable telling someone not to enter a building, get a good description of the person, and call Public Safety right away.
• Consider personal safety training in an OWU physical education course. Also, for groups interested in receiving more information about personal safety, please contact Public Safety. We will schedule a time to speak to groups of five or more. Free, confidential student counseling services also are available on campus by calling 740-368-3145.

Again, it is important to note that Ohio Wesleyan and the City of Delaware have relatively low numbers of crime. We share this information not to alarm you, but to inform and empower you. These tips and the crime notifications that we share are intended to help you make smart choices and know how to help look out for other members of your campus family, too.

Together, we will make this a safe and successful academic year.

Bob Wood
Director of Public Safety

Additional Resources

• City of Delaware Police Department
• City of Delaware Fire Department
• OWU Alert (formerly Connect-ED) emergency notification system