Safety and Protection

Georgia Tech has committed significant resources to ensure your day-to-day safety and to prepare for and respond effectively in the event of an emergency. The GT Department of Housing takes a leading role in this effort:

We supply a comprehensive emergency plan for all residence halls and take part in campus-wide planning and training exercises.
Housing works closely with the GT Police Department. See safety best practices and reporting crime below.
The county Fire Marshall regularly inspects residence halls which are equipped with fire safety devices; fire drills are scheduled regularly.
Residence halls are locked 24/7 and are accessible only to students and staff with keys.
Safety and evacuation instructions are posted in each residence hall room.

Best Practices

Developing simple security habits once students arrive on campus can head off big problems and headaches in the future.

Lock your doors and carry your keys whenever you are away from your room. Students should do this even if they are only going next door. Remember that a thief does not need much time to ruin someone's day.
Lock your door if you are sleeping and/or completing a task that takes your attention away from your surroundings.
Do not prop open any exterior doors, or allow them to be propped open. While propping a door open may be convenient for a student or their guests, remember that it is also convenient for a thief.
Don't allow people to walk in behind you when you enter your building.
Register your valuables with the Police, or at least, have serial numbers of items like your TV, computer, bike, etc. written down and kept in a safe place. It is also helpful to keep pictures of these items.
Protect items such as credit and ATM cards. See to it that your PIN code is not written on either of these cards. Without this code, and ATM card is worthless to a thief.

Report Crime

Please call the GTPD, 404-894-2500, to report any crime in the residence halls. Provide them with whatever details, facts and suspicions you have.

Be as clear as you or your floormates can be in responsibly describing the person seen on the floor, including physical description, clothing, tools, and other distinguishing features. You should also notify your community staff as well.

Call the GTPD

Reporting Theft:

The first thing you should do is tell your PL or RA who can then fill out a Residence Information Form (RIF). The incident will then be on record with the Department of Housing. Next, you should file a report with the Georgia Tech Police. You can then give them the serial numbers and copies of pictures that you have taken of your valuables.

Go to GT Police Department site

Crime Alerts

police officer riding a Segway on campus

Institute has implemented a new emergency communications system known as the GT Emergency Notification System (GTENS), the system allows you to receive time-sensitive emergency messages in the form of e-mail, voice mail and text messages.

We encourage students to register for GTENS immediately. Learn about GTENS registration and other notification systems at the GTPD site.

Residence Life Emergency Alert Plan

Weather, natural disaster, and security concerns can bring about emergencies in a residence hall(s). Residents in Georgia Tech housing can be assured that the members of the Residence Life and Housing staff, as well as other campus agencies, are working together for emergency preparedness and response.

Residence Life staff are trained in crisis management and have protocols designed to handle most emergencies, in coordination with Georgia Tech Police, Counseling Center, Dean of Students, and other Atlanta and State agencies.
All residents have a responsibility to keep their halls secure. Do not prop open doors or allow others to enter a building behind you. More security information is located in "The Department of Housing Guide to Community Living".
Be vigilant and observant of anything or anyone that might be suspicious and immediately call the Georgia Tech Police Department at 404-894-2500. These include: suspicious or unattended packages, containers or vehicles; signs of break-ins or attempted unauthorized entries; unusual odors or substances; fellow residents or any campus community member about whom you have concerns; or people in residence halls and other buildings who you think should not be there.

When Alerted to an Emergency

Students should seek shelter in the closest building. In a residence hall, residents should remain in their room unless instructed otherwise by Institute staff (Housing student staff, Residence Life staff, GTPD, others).
If evacuation is necessary, residents should evacuate the building using the nearest evacuation route and proceed to the evacuation location listed below for their building. Any larger evacuation will be handled (and announced) by emergency crews (GTPD, Atlanta Police or Fire, GEMA, etc.).
For tornado warnings only, all residents should relocate away from any rooms with windows and relocate into their bathroom or out in the hallways in the lower levels not adjacent to any windows or exterior facing door.

Fire Safety

When the fire alarm sounds, you are required by law to evacuate the building, even in the event of a false alarm. The Georgia Tech Fire Marshall will administer a fire drill once per semester. All individuals are to proceed 100 feet away from the building to the designated "gathering point" for that hall.

Only when the alarm is silenced and the "All Clear" given by Department of Housing Staff or the Georgia Tech Police, may people re-enter the building. Students who do not vacate will be subject to judicial action. Please note that we only do drills once, early in each semester. Any other time the alarm rings, there is a legitimate reason for it! We do not have a "false alarm" culture here at Tech.

Any student who knowingly or accidentally causes a fire will be handled through the judicial system for the Department of Housing and/or the Institute.

Sprinklers

Sprinkler heads must not be tampered with, or used as a means to hang personal items. Some of our facilities are equipped with sprinkler systems that will extinguish most major fires. These sprinklers put out 250 gallons of water per minute.

You may end up flooding your room and many others at the same time. Georgia Tech is not responsible for the loss you may incur as a result of someone else's negligence. A resident who knowingly or accidentally causes a sprinkler to activate may be charged in the judicial process.

Closed Circuit TV Cameras

As an additional security measure both the GT Police and Housing own and periodically use hidden closed circuit TV cameras and other surveillance devices in and around our residence halls. Surveillance is used to deter and sometimes catch possible thieves and other security threats. This paragraph fulfills the regulatory requirements that these premises are periodically monitored and will allow use of closed circuit TV and other device records to be used in courts as evidence.

Safety and Protection

Best Practices

Report Crime

Reporting Theft:

Crime Alerts

Residence Life Emergency Alert Plan

When Alerted to an Emergency

Fire Safety

Sprinklers

Residence Hall Evacuation Plans

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