We’re proud to be one of the safest schools in the University System of Maryland. Here's how we work to keep our campus safe for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
Safety & Security
Towson University has had the lowest number of crimes per capita in the USM for six consecutive years. In 2013, one violent crime and 117 property crimes occurred on campus for a total of 118 part I crimes among a campus population of more than 25,000. Many universities shy away from publicly posting their crime statistics. We place ours front and center, both because they’re exceptional and because we believe that a greater awareness of the opportunity for crime leads to less crime overall.
The safety of our students is critical to fulfilling the academic mission. Our Towson University Police Department is accredited by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and vested with full authority to enforce campus, local and state laws. The department’s award-winning crime prevention and awareness programs—including emergency text alerts, campus escort programs, and campus safety videos—are built to help students stay informed of potential dangers so they can safely focus on learning.
Emergency Preparedness
Our Office of Emergency Preparedness works with the TU Police Department, All-Hazards Preparedness Committee and representatives from across campus to keep the university prepared for emergencies. We conduct annual emergency preparedness exercises, drills and training sessions to test and strengthen our response systems and practices.
We recommend that all students watch the Emergency Preparedness video and review the Emergency Resources Guide to help prepare for emergency situations (all faculty and staff watch the video and receive the guide during orientation). If an emergency does occur, students may be alerted in a number of ways, including via the campus’s external siren and speaker system, the campus internal public address systems, or through campus desktop messages, email messages, emergency text messages; campus phone messages, the TU website or media alerts.