Crime Prevention

Call 911 for life-threatening situations and the Campus Safety & Security Department at 928-777-3333 after or for non-life-threatening situations.

ERAU Prescott Campus features 28 Blue Light Phones at locations around campus to allow students and visitors to quickly summon assistance. A general information button rings directly to the Campus Safety & Security non-emergency number, while a red button rings directly to the emergency line. Pressing the red emergency button sets off a blue light strobe that alerts bystanders that someone has called for emergency assistance while helping officers quickly locate the person needing assistance.

Eagle Guardian is a smartphone app that anyone can download for use at ERAU. Users can notify the Campus Safety & Security Department and 911 directly from the app if they are in distress or experience an emergency. There is also an anonymous chat feature for reporters that prefer to remain anonymous.

All students and employees are issued email addresses. Students, employees and external community members can report non-emergency situations to prsafety@erau.edu.

If there is an active shooter on campus, you should:

• Run: If safe to do so, get away from the threat. Move quickly and get as far away as you can.
• Hide: If you cannot run from the threat, barricade yourself, preferably in a locked space. Silence phones and turn off lights. Prepare to fight.
• Fight: If you are being attacked, or are about to be attacked, fight back with all of your energy. Attack with improvised weapons or throw objects. Keep moving.
• Call 911
• Contact the Campus Safety & Security Department through Rave Guardian or at 928-777-3333 if safe to do so.

The rental market in the Prescott area is tight and highly competitive; scammers leverage renters’ fear of losing a nice rental to rush their victims into making costly mistakes. Here are some tools you can use to stay safe and find a real rental.

Be suspicious that the property or transaction could be a scam if:

• The advertised price is much lower than that of similar properties.
• Ads for the property have grammatical and spelling errors, or overuse capital letters.
• The ad uses uncommon spellings of words, like "favour" instead of "favor."
• You can only work with an agent. The agent says that the owner is too busy, out of the country or otherwise unavailable to handle the rental.
• The owner or agent requires you to sign the lease before you see the rental property.
• The owner or agent isn't able to let you enter the home or apartment, or charges you a fee to view it.
• The owner or agent uses high-pressure sales tactics. They may urge you to rent quickly before someone else gets the property. 

Do

• Learn the basics of how rental listing scams work.
• Get the terms of your rental, including fees, rent and maintenance in writing.
• Get a copy of the lease, signed by both you and the property owner/manager.
• Do a search on the owner, real estate Management Company and listing. If you find the same ad listed under a different name, that’s a clue it may be a scam.
• Visit real estate websites. Check out if the home you want to rent is also listed in another city. A scammer could have copied the photo or description of another rental to use in their ad. 
• Learn how military families can avoid rental scams.

Don’t

• Don’t wire money as a deposit or payment of first and last month's rent. Wiring money is the same as giving cash; you can't get a refund, even if you find out the offer was a fraud.
• Don’t give in to high-pressure sales tactics.
• Don’t pay a security deposit, fee or first month’s rent before you’ve signed a lease.
• Don’t rent a property that you are unable to see before signing the agreement.
• Don’t send money for a rental overseas.
• Don’t give your personal information or Social Security number to a property owner without verifying their identity.

Report a rental scam to your state consumer protection or local law enforcement. If you found the rental ad online, report the scam to the website where it was posted. Also, file a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Another powerful tool is knowledge of the Arizona law, which regulates landlord and tenant relations.

• If on campus and you are followed, see suspicious activity or are walking alone, move to a lighted area and contact the Campus Safety & Security Department by using Rave Guardian, a blue light, emergency telephone or a personal cell phone. Also, consider walking with a friend instead.
• If you walk alone, follow the tips below:
• Don't hitchhike, day or night.
• Dress in clothes and shoes that will allow you to move quickly.
• Tuck jewelry inside your clothing.
• If you carry a purse, briefcase or backpack, keep only a small amount of cash in it. If possible, do not carry a purse.
• Carry keys, identification and anything else of value on your person.
• Carry a noise-making device — such as a whistle — and have it ready to use.
• Be alert, observant and aware of your surroundings and other people around you.
• Report any suspicious persons or circumstances on-campus to the Campus Safety & Security Department by calling 928-777-3333 or 911.
• Leave keys with a trusted neighbor instead of leaving them hidden around the exterior of your apartment or house.
• Always identify visitors before letting them inside your residence. Request identification before you open the door.
• If off campus, report any unusual or suspicious activity or persons near your apartment or around neighbors' apartments to the police.
• Arrange for service or utility people to come when someone else will be present.
• Avoid isolated areas when alone, such as stairways or basements.
• Walk in the center of the sidewalk, away from buildings, doorways, hedges and parked cars.
• When possible, walk on the side of the street facing oncoming traffic. If you are walking with traffic and a car going in the same direction pulls up next to you, reverse your direction.
• Avoid traveling the same route every day.
• If a stranger tries to engage you in a conversation, use discretion before stopping to talk. It is a good idea to say that you are in a hurry to meet someone.
• Have the key to your home ready as you approach your door.

• Hang up as soon as you realize the nature of the call.
• Don't try to find out who the call is from, even if you think the caller is just a friend playing a joke.
• If calls occur repeatedly, keep a log in which you record the date and time each call is received, exactly what the caller said, what you said, and a description of the voice (young, old, hoarse, accented, etc.) and background noises.
• Call the Campus Safety & Security Department at 928-777-3333 to report an obscene or harassing phone call.

• Avoid entering an elevator occupied by a suspicious or intoxicated person.
• If someone in the elevator makes you feel uneasy, get off at the next floor.
• If faced with in an uncomfortable situation, hit the alarm button and as many floor buttons as possible.
• Do not attempt to pry open doors, tamper with the control panel or overload the car.