Emergency Alerts & Campus Safety

Many visitors to the United States are concerned about public safety and certain precautions should be taken. It is usually a good idea to ask a local for advice about which areas are safe and which areas you should avoid.

Here are a few pieces of advice to keep you safe in Los Angeles:
• You should not walk alone at night, even on campus
• When traveling, you are not advised to carry large sums of money or valuables
• You should not hitchhike or pick-up hitchhikers
• You should only accept rides in taxis or with people you know
• You should familiarize yourself with the campus security office and their services

Emergency Alerts (BruinAlert)

UCLA uses BruinAlert to alert the UCLA community of a dangerous or potentially dangerous situation. BruinAlert is used only for emergencies. All UCLA faculty and staff with valid email addresses in the UCLA Campus Directory and students with valid email addresses in MyUCLA are automatically enrolled in BruinAlert to receive email alerts. Not all scholars will be automatically placed on the list so it is important that scholars sign up for alerts at the following site to be informed: https://www.oem.ucla.edu/bruinalert.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY CALL 9-1-1

Please remember to dial 9-1-1 ONLY for emergency situations. Emergency calls are those where there is a potential threat to life, such as a serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), or any other life-threatening situations (automobile accidents, flights, person with weapons, etc).

UCLA Safety Resources

UCLA is committed to keeping you safe and the UCLA Police Department provides many services and information so that you know what is going on at the University and so you know how to keep yourself safe both on campus and in Los Angeles.

Campus Walking Escorts

The UCLA Police Department provides a free walking escort service every day of the year from dusk until 1 a.m. They are available to walk students, faculty, staff members and visitors to and from anywhere on campus, in Westwood Village and in the village apartments. CSO Safety Escorts are uniformed students who have received special training and are employed by the UCLA Police Department. To obtain an escort, please call (310) 794-9255. Please allow 15 to 20 minutes for your escort to arrive.

UCLA Safe Ride Service

The UCLA Safe Ride service provides a safe means of transportation around campus during the evening hours. The vans provide transportation between campus buildings, on-campus housing and nearby residential areas. The service is free of charge and available to all UCLA students, staff, faculty and visitors. For added safety, the vans are driven by Community Service Officers (CSOs) who carry two-way radios, providing a direct link to the UCLA Police Department.

All ride requests need to be made using the UCLA Safe Ride app from a smart phone or computer, available on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Users will install the app, select University of California, Los Angeles and login using their UCLA Logon ID. Pick up and drop off locations are selected from an available list on the app.

UCLA Safe Rides are available Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters. The hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. until midnight.

Reporting, Police & Tickets

Reporting a Crime

You are also asked to call 9-1-1 to report crimes in progress, whether or not a life is threatened. Even cell phones without service will allow you to call 9-1-1. As long as you are not in danger, do not leave the location of the crime, you need to stay so that the police can ask you questions and you can make a statement about what happened.

Example: If you witness a car accident, do not leave the scene; stay there until the Police arrive so they can gather more information about the incident.

Non-Emergency Situations

To report non-emergency situations, such as suspicious behavior or lost documents, call the UC Police Department at (310) 825-1491. We highly recommend that you put this phone number in your cell phone so you always have it available, in case you ever need it.

Interactions with Police

The police are here to help you and should always be treated with respect and in turn, they should also be treating you with respect. Comply with all requests that are asked of you and follow the Police Officer’s directions.

Getting Pulled Over

If you are driving a car and you are ever pulled over by the police, DO NOT get out of your car unless you are told to do so. You are expected to stay in your car and the police officer will approach your car, do not approach the police car, this can be seen as a hostile action toward the police officer. Also, always keep your hands where the police officer can see them.

Receiving a Ticket

If an officer issues a ticket or citation, do not argue with them. You must sign the ticket. This is not an admission of guilt. The purpose of signing the ticket is you acknowledge you were given the ticket. If you feel the ticket is wrong, check "Not Guilty" and mail the ticket in. You will have a chance to argue your case in court. Arguing with a police officer will only make the situation worse. Bribing police officers is highly illegal in the United States, do not attempt to do this.

Related Information

UCLA Police Department:

Phone: (310) 825-1491
Anonymous Reporting Line: (310) 794-5824

Address:
601 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1364