Do everyone a favor, report suspicious activity

With two crimes last Thursday, the UH community was reminded again of the dangers that lurk on campus. Students and faculty are justified in having concerns about campus safety.

With thousands of commuting vehicles, gadgets and people who live on campus, it is not new that UH is an attractive place for thieves or people who mean to do harm.

Criminals who target the University tend to not have a preference on the time of day to do something illegal. Many are bold enough to prey on students or faculty in broad daylight.

In the first of last week’s incidents, a man was sought in relation to a sexual assault after someone found a way into a student’s dorm room. The UH Department of Public Safety identified a suspect as a 22-year-old Astin Chavers Clark, and he has since been taken into custody after turning himself in.

Later that day a female student had a pistol pulled on her, and was temporarily abducted when another suspect ordered her into his vehicle. The suspect robbed her and then dropped her off away from campus about an hour later.

Neither of the two victims were injured, but these frightening occurrences should serve as a reminder to us that dangerous situations can quickly materialize while on campus.

In a perfect world, a patrolling officer would always be nearby, and security cameras would be perfectly placed. UH employees and students must do their part to make this campus safer. We are not encouraging students and faculty to be vigilantes by any means, but they can certainly do their part to actively prevent crime.

If you see something or someone suspicious, give UHPD a call. If anything, people can save the number in a cell phone: (713) 743-3333. Suppose you are leaving campus and you feel you avoided a potential confrontation with a criminal, and drive off on your merry way.

That person could still be a threat to another member of our community. There is no shame in reporting shady activity, and really, what is the worst thing that could happen?