Reporting & Safety Tips

Reporting Crime and Non-Crime Emergencies

Criminal activity and other emergencies that occur on campus should be reported to the District Police Department immediately. District police officers respond to all on-campus reports of fire, police, or medical emergencies.

The District Police Department has primary law enforcement jurisdiction for all criminal incidents that occur on campuses and District facilities. This includes incident investigation, follow-up, and resolution. If you are off-campus and are uncertain of the police jurisdiction you are in, your emergency call will be properly routed by dialing 911. For non-emergency information, contact any Sonoma County police agency and the dispatcher will refer you to the agency with primary jurisdiction over your incident.

Emergencies on-campus : For all police, fire, and medical emergencies call 527-1000 from any phone on campus. District Police Officers will be dispatched to all crimes in progress and other emergencies along with appropriate fire and medical personnel as necessary.

Emergency Call Boxes and Direct-Dial Phones: Emergency call boxes are located on each floor of the parking garage and installation of additional emergency call boxes is continuing throughout the Santa Rosa Campus, Petaluma Center, Public Safety Training Center and other district Properties in 2008/2009, pending financial availability. These boxes enable anyone to contact Police Dispatch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for in-progress crimes, fire, and medical emergencies by merely pushing a button. A camera will show the area surrounding the call box as well as give the person direct audio contact with Police Dispatch. These call boxes do not provide access to general telephone services.

There are several direct-dial telephones located in building elevators throughout the campus, which ring directly into Police Dispatch. These auto-dialing phones may be used to summon emergency police, fire, or medical assistance.

All payphones on campus have a feature where dialing “*” and 80 will automatically connect the caller to police dispatch without having to deposit any money. This is a convenience as well as a quick way to reach police in an emergency.

Non-emergencies on-campus: The non-emergency, business telephone number to reach the District Police Department is 527-1000. This number should be utilized to report property crimes such as theft from a car or building, or to obtain non-emergency police services and information such as fingerprinting, parking citation information, requests for safety escorts to and from parking lots and buildings, and crime prevention information.

Emergencies at non-campus facilities and off-campus: The non-campus facilities and off-campus emergency telephone number in Sonoma County is “9-1-1.” Use this number for community-based fire, police, and medical services.  The call is free from all payphones. When dialing 9-1-1 from a cellular telephone, you will be connected to the California Highway Patrol Dispatch Center in Benicia, CA so you will need to provide dispatchers with the county, city, and specific location where emergency response is needed.

Safety Tips

  • To report an emergency occurring on campus dial (707) 527-1000 to reach the campus Police Department. 
  • Know your location! If you are calling from a mobile phone you must be able tell us where you are if you need help. 
  • Get to know the names of buildings, fields, streets, etc. around campus. 
  • Lock your car doors anytime you leave the car. It takes only seconds and can save you from being victimized. 
  • Don’t leave obvious valuables in plain view in your car. Sometimes, availability is all that is needed to cause someone to break in and rob you. 
  • Check the back seat of your car before you get in. You may have an uninvited passenger. 
  • Be extra alert as you approach your vehicle to get in it. Many suspects use this as an opportunity to commit a crime. 
  • Walk with a friend when out after dark. Walk on designated pathways and well-lit areas. There is truly safety in numbers. Be aware of your surroundings. 
  • If you are alone and do not feel comfortable walking to your car, call the Police Department for an escort. 
  • Don’t walk while staring at your phone; you may become the victim of an accident or a crime. 
  • Report any criminal or suspicious activities or other emergencies that occur on campus to the Santa Rosa Junior College Police Department. 
  • Every time a crime is reported, there is a chance to catch the criminal. When a crime goes unreported, the suspect will become more brazen and strike again. 
  • In most sexual assaults, the victim and suspect knew each other prior to the assault. Knowing someone does not guarantee a sexual assault will not occur. 
  • Limit the amount of personal information you share online. Some services archive messages indefinitely, providing key-word search capabilities to find anything that you ever posted on a public site.