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How you Can Make Isla Vista a Safer Community

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Live Safe

Most sexual assaults on women in Isla Vista are committed by men they know and trust. This is a problem that requires the individual commitment of each of us to change.

1. Call a CSO escort (893-2000 or pick up any red emergency phone on campus). IT'S FREE 24 hours a day.
2. Pay attention to your surroundings.
3. Carry your keys in your hand to avoid fumbling for them in a backpack or bag.
4. Keep your doors locked day and night.
5. Know your neighbors and know which ones you can trust in an emergency.
6. Leave spare keys with a friend, not under a door mat or somewhere obvious.
7. Check to see who is at the door before opening it.
8. Call Isla Vista Foot Patrol if you suspect an intruder or hear strange noises or in an emergency.
9. Demand adequate lighting and effective locks.

Party Safe

1. Plan your party in advance; call Isla Vista Foot Patrol to deal with party crashers. Don't have parties open to the public. Unfortunately, too many people come to IV fully aware of the open party scene and use that opportunity to commit thefts.
2. DON'T LEAVE A FRIEND STRANDED!
3. Trust your intuition in uncomfortable situations; leave the situation if you feel that you are at risk.
4. Pour your own drinks and keep them in your possession at all times.
5. If you choose to experiment with drugs, educate yourself first. Be sure you understand the risks and are in a safe environment.
6. Say "yes" when you mean yes and "no" when you mean no.
7. Take "no" as no the first time.
8. You have the right to not be sexually assaulted.
9. If you assault or sexually assault someone while you are drunk, you are responsible for your actions.

Create a Safe Community

1. Get to know and talk with your neighbors about neighborhood expectations.
2. Form agreements with neighbors to watch each others' homes.
3. Make sure your out-of-town guests know that Isla Vista is your HOME!
4. Join the Adopt-A-Block program (volunteer street cleaning crews); call 968-2017.
5. Get active with other UCSB students on community concerns; contact the A.S. External Vice-President, at 968-5158 or 893-2566.
6. Get involved with A.S. COPS (Commission on Public Safety).
7. Contact the County Advisory Committee to talk about housing conditions, safety issues, etc., at 968-5158.

Know the Law

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's zero tolerance policy means that instead of giving a warning, citations will be issued, and instead of citations, arrests will be made. Violations include:

1. fighting in public; other acts of violence
2. minor in possession of alcohol
3. public intoxication
4. open alcohol containers in public
5. DUI/BUI
6. violating the noise ordinance (after 10pm S-Th and after 12 midnight Fri/Sat)
7. urinating in public
8. burning couches or vehicles (any kind of arson!)

Be Alert

Several thousand crimes are reported every year in the UCSB and Isla Vista area. The Isla Vista Foot Patrol and the UCSB Police Department rely on involvement from the community-students, staff, faculty and families who live in the area-to combat crime. You can help by becoming more aware of and responsible for your own safety, by being alert to suspicious or dangerous activities and by quickly reporting the following unsafe conditions to the Police or Foot Patrol.

1. Someone going door-to-door or looking into windows and parked cars
2. A person wandering in the area with no apparent purpose
3. A person trying door knobs
4. A stranger who wanders into your apartment or residence hall room and then apologizes for "accidentally entering the wrong place"
5. Someone trying to forcibly enter a locked vehicle
6. Any unusual or suspicious noise that you cannot explain, such as breaking glass or screaming
7. Vehicles moving slowly, without lights, or with no apparent destination
8. Someone carrying bolt cutters
9. A person going through a bicycle lot looking at bicycles
10. A person carrying two bicycles or a bicycle that has a wheel locked to its frame
11. People sitting in a vehicle for a long period of time with no apparent reason
12. Anyone who is injured, intoxicated, appears to be violent, or is in need of assistance

Call for Help

1. UCSB Women's Center: 893-3778
2. Rape Crisis Center: 564-3696
3. UC Police Department: 893-3446 (non-emergency)
4. Isla Vista Foot Patrol: 681-4179
5. In an emergency: 911 or 9-911 on campus.