The Department of Public Safety is a service agency dedicated to the safety and security of the University community as well as providing transportation services to those needing access to the campus. The Director of Public Safety reports to the Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary Services. The Department is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and operates an Emergency 911 Communications Center.

The delivery of services centers around one primary concern: "Protecting North Carolina's Future". This commitment includes the provision of services to the community when crimes occur, as well as the prevention of crime. The employees of the Department of Public Safety continue to work in partnership with the community to deliver the finest possible services available.

Services provide by the department include:

• Analysis of existing or potential crime, security and safety problems, and the development of partnerships to problem solve to prevent and/or control these problems.
  
  
• Analysis of access to campus for faculty, staff, students and visitors to effectively use transportation resources to meet the varying needs of different user groups
  
  
• Evaluation of the Department's operations to determine their effectiveness and efficiency through annual customer surveys.

To report a crime or an emergency, a caller should contact the Telecommunications Center by calling 911 or by activating an UNC Police Call Box. Non-emergency callers should contact the Department of Public Safety at 962-8100. Police officers will respond to all 911 calls, even if the caller hangs up without speaking. Callers who dial 911 by mistake should stay on the line and inform the telecommunicator of the error. This will prevent Police Officers from being dispatched unnecessarily.

For information on Crime Prevention and classes offered by the Department of Public Safety, call the Crime Prevention Office at (919) 966-3230.

Parking at UNC

University parking areas will be zoned, meter-controlled, reserved, or restricted. Parking is prohibited on campus except in lots, streets, and areas indicated in the Parking Ordinance. Legal parking at all times is restricted to the spaces as they are marked for parking. Certain spaces on campus are reserved for the physically disabled, loading and unloading, bus stop zones, service vehicles, and for special use as necessary and may not be used by visitors. Students should apply for parking permits through a pre-registration program in April of each year.

Vehicles found parked illegally may be cited by the Parking Control Division, and subsequent violations may result in "repeat offender" status, immobilization ("booting"), and / or towing of the vehicle. All citations may be appealed through the Department of Public Safety's Appeals Office. Appeals Office hours and telephone hours are weekdays from 7:30 am through 5:00 pm.

The Parking Control Division also operates M.A.P. (Motorist Assistance Program) offering jumpstarts or lock-out key retrievals to any vehicle on campus. M.A.P. may be contacted at the Parking Control Office at 962-8006 on weekdays between 7:00 am and 12:00 midnight. For motorist assistance during all other times, call 962-8100.

Visitor Parking is also available in one of the six visitor / patient pay parking areas on the UNC campus: the Dogwood Parking Deck (across from U.N.C. Hospitals), the Morehead Lot (off Franklin Street), the Ambulatory Care Lot (Mason Farm Road), the Hill Alumni Center Lot (along the southwestern bays of Stadium Drive), the Swain lot (across from fraternity court off North Columbia Street), and the NC 54 Visitors' Lot (diagonally across South Road from the Institute of Government). Parking rates $1.00 / hour, per visit.

Parking is also available at any of nearly 200-metered spaces on campus. Most meters are activated at a rate of 25¢ / half-hour or with cash keys available through Parking Division of the Department of Public Safety.

Alternatives to Parking at UNC

CAP (Commuter Alternatives Program) - The UNC Department of Public Safety sponsors the CAP to encourage traveling by means other than single-occupancy vehicle.

The CAP registration begins each April for students through online parking pre-registration. The program, which begins each fall semester on August 15th, is free and requires only that registrants commute to school or work and not have a normal SOV reserved parking permit. All forms of alternative transportation are encouraged, including commuting via bicycling, walking, riding transit, using park and ride services, and car / vanpooling.

Potential advantages for transit-riding CAP participants may include books of one-day temporary permits good for reserved parking on a once-per-month basis. Most car and vanpoolers may have the choice of accessing parking permits expressly reserved for rideshare participants. Other CAP benefits to employees include weekday access to Emergency Ride Back service to park and ride lots served by Chapel Hill Transit and locations within the Chapel Hill / Carrboro city limits.

Qualifying registrants receive a CAP permit package when permits are distributed in early August. These participants will also be able to register after July 1 directly through the UNC Department of Public Safety.

Chapel Hill Transit provides regular fare-free bus service about the campus (aboard the "U" and "Reverse U" shuttles, 7:00 am - 8:00 pm) and to and from campus and locations throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Park and Ride services are available to and from campus and UNC's Friday Center Lot (off NC 54 east of campus), the P and PR Lots (at Airport Road and Estes Drive), and the Masonic Lodge Lot on Franklin Street, as well as town park and ride lots, including the Southern Village Lot (off 15-501 south of UNC), the Eubanks Road Lot (north of campus near I40), the Carrboro Plaza Lot (off NC 54 west of campus), Highway 54, and the Jones Ferry Lot (near University Lake).

Regional Transit - Regional transit in the Triangle area is a system of bus routes operated by the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA), connecting Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, the renowned Research Triangle Park (RTP), the area's many universities and hospitals, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Triangle Transit Authority offices located in the RTP, in the Park Service Center serves as the transfer point for routes from UNC aboard TTA's Green Line. Individual route maps, schedules, fares, and pass prices are listed in brochures available at the Triangle Transit Authority offices (549-9999) or through the UNC Department of Public Safety.

UNC Point-to-Point Express - The P2P program also offers the Point-to-Point Express service, operating on a fixed-route around campus from 7:00 p.m. through 3:00 a.m. seven nights a week during spring and fall academic semesters (except University Holidays when residence halls are closed). The route serves scheduled stops marked by signs along the route at roughly 15-minute intervals during peak service. Students, staff, or faculty must show a UNCONE card or campus I.D. when boarding.

UNC Point-to-Point Campus Shuttle - Disabled students and students needing a ride to the Student Health Services during daylight hours may access the on-demand Point-to-Point shuttle by calling a P2P dispatcher at 962-"P-TO-P" (962-7867). After dark, the P2P services the needs of all students needing transportation from one campus location and another which are NOT on the P2P Express route (buildings must be "open"). Callers should provide their name, location, and destination. The dispatcher will then advise the caller of when a shuttle vehicle should arrive at their location.

UNC Bicycle Registration - The Department of Public Safety implements a cost-free bicycle registration program for bicycles stored or traveling on campus. The program serves as a deterrent to crime, it can aid in the identification of lost or stolen bicycles, and it also enables our department to better plan for improved bicycle parking facilities around the UNC campus in the future.

Walking: UNC strives to be a pedestrian-friendly campus, but that takes diligence on the part of pedestrians and motorists. Motorists are asked to yield to all pedestrians in or entering marked crosswalks; those walking on campus are asked to cross thoroughfares at marked crosswalks only. For more information on pedestrian safety, call the Pedestrian Safety Hotline at 843-7337.

For More Information...

Visit the UNC Department of Public Safety during our regular business hours (weekdays, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM), in the Public Safety Building, on Morrison Drive (just off Manning Drive) on south campus, or call us at (919) 962-3951. For more information visit the Department of Public Safety website.