Parent Update: Crime Alert from the St. Paul Dept. of Public Safety

To Parents and Family members,

We wanted to update you on a couple of recent incidents that have occurred on the St. Paul campus. The safety of our students is a number one priority for us. The following announcement was posted this weekend to entire campus community on the Daily Update and a “crime alert” email was sent to all residents as well as posted on buildings throughout campus. Students have been reminded to visit the internal Public Safety website and follow the suggestions for Crime Prevention Tips. Notices include what to do if a student encounters suspicious activity. The complete crime alert notice can be viewed at the end of this email by following the link. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Public Safety at 651.690-8888.

The Department of Public Safety would like to inform the St. Catherine University community of three recent reports of men trying to lure St. Kate’s students.

Two incidents occurred off campus in the area of Randolph and Fairview. In the first incident, the student was asked questions about St. Kate’s and was followed. In the second incident, the student was asked if she would come with the suspect to have her pictures taken. In the third case, the student was on campus by the tennis courts and the men asked her to come with them to have some fun. In the last two cases, one man tried to grab the student's arm, but she pulled away and ran.

The descriptions are: 1st Incident: Caucasian male, 6’2”, late 20’s, athletic build, short (shaved head but grown out) dark hair, facial hair, dark raincoat; 2nd Incident: Short, Asian male, jeans; 3rd Incident: First Suspect—White male, 6’3”, buff build, average hair length, baggy sweatshirt, dark jeans; Second Suspect—White male, 5’11” 5’10” – 5’11”, white male, skinny baggy sweatshirt, blue jeans.

1) Make sure you're not alone. If you're leaving campus early in the morning or during the night, try to find a friend who will accompany you.

2) Be aware of your surroundings. Exercise the same caution you would when traversing any isolated city street during odd hours.

St. Catherine University believes that descriptors alone are not a valid reason to profile or cast suspicion on any individual. They are included here because they may reasonably assist in identifying the perpetrator of this incident.

For safety tips and steps to visit Public Safety or contact directly at x8888. Note: Tghe Public Safety Website is only available to St. Kate's staff and Students.