In the video above, Rhett discusses ways to stay safe both on and off campus. Video by Judicial Affairs

If you’re out and about reading this, make sure you keep one eye on your bag or laptop.

Crime on university campuses, including BU’s, spikes every September and October, according to the BU Police Department. This week Comm Ave is flooded with new, often-distracted students, toting new bags filled with new stuff, as they seek out unfamiliar buildings and classrooms. With more than 30,000 students, 4,000 faculty, and 5,000 staff, BU is an attractive destination for criminals.

While property theft—usually of items left unattended, however briefly—is the most common crime reported on campus, more serious offenses occur as well. From January 2011 to August 31, 2011, according to the BUPD, 10 simple assaults, 3 aggravated assaults, 46 burglaries, 183 larcenies, 40 car breaks, 7 robberies, and one indecent assault were reported on campus. Some of those numbers may be higher, as police acknowledge that offenses like rape and indecent assault tend to be underreported. Crimes that occur in adjacent student neighborhoods like Allston-Brighton are handled by the Boston Police Department.

The BUPD has a staff of 54 officers and detectives. Shift sizes vary depending on the day and the number of events taking place. More than 110 security boxes across campus can connect callers directly to a BUPD dispatcher and the department’s number is listed on the back of every Terrier card.

BU Today caught up with Scott Paré, deputy director of public safety and BUPD deputy chief, to ask how students can best protect themselves on the street, as well as in dorms and campus buildings.

BU Today: Do college students have a false sense of security?

Paré: The crime rate is very low on this campus. With that you have this feeling of comfort, which is great, but you do end up letting your guard down. It’s a double-edged sword.

Is BU a popular target for thieves?

BU is certainly an appealing place. The university environment is, in general. The population is large. Thieves know students have laptops and other electronic devices. Unfortunately, kids leave them unattended—90 to 95 percent of theft reports we review are “unattendeds,” meaning leaving your laptop or iPhone at your desk while you go for a break or a coffee. It’s not just students. It’s faculty and staff, too. You go down the hall for five minutes, and something’s missing from your office.

You should lock your dorm room, even when sleeping. There’s security downstairs in larger dorms, so upstairs, students leave doors open. We’ve had kids walk into a room when people are sleeping, sometimes by accident, sometimes not. We get two or three cases a semester of people being in a room when they don’t belong there. Larceny is the highest crime on campus, on all campuses.

Does registering valuables help?

We do free laptop and bike registration. This doesn’t prevent theft, but we can put a report in a national crime database, and if the items are located anywhere and the numbers are run, at least there’s a chance of getting them back.

How often does that happen?

It’s not real common. So the best plan is prevention.

Does a cell phone make you more of a target at night?

Walking around talking on your cell phone after midnight probably isn’t the best way to keep your wits about you. You want to be aware of your surroundings, especially at night, when your senses should be more keen. Your cell phone is a huge distraction. I know I’ve been places where you’re on your cell phone and you go from point A to point B and forget what happened in between. You arrive at your destination and say, “How did I get here?” The same with headphones. You can’t hear anything around you because you have the music blaring. You can’t hear traffic, trains, someone on a bike. You’d never hear someone running up behind you. We had two incidents last summer where female students talking on their cell phones were assaulted and robbed while walking late at night.

Is it best to cooperate with a mugger?

These items aren’t worth your safety, so why risk getting injured or worse? If you’re physically attacked all bets are off—you have to fight back and defend yourself.

It’s always good to carry something in your hands in case you’re assaulted, to fend somebody off. Carry a noise device like a whistle that you can use to gain attention if you’re being attacked. Yell as loud as you can to get help. We do offer RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) classes, and if a group wants to have a RAD class, they can contact us directly. We’ll do a class anywhere, anytime.

What advice do you have for students coming from a noncity environment?

BU is extremely safe, but don’t let your guard down. This is a large city, and it certainly changes when it gets dark. It’s best if you can walk with someone else. If you can’t, we do have an Escort Security Service on campus. Stay off your cell phone. If you need to make a call, be conscious of what’s around you.

What precautions should students take when off campus?

It’s always best to travel with others and have a plan where to meet up. You should know the neighborhoods you’re going to, maybe do some research. Travel in packs. A single person is a much easier target. Have cab numbers preprogrammed into your cell phone in case you find yourself stranded after hours. It’s not real expensive for a cab ride across town because the city’s not that big. It’s certainly worth a $10 investment, versus a short walk that might require walking a dark street alone.

Also, don’t leave a friend behind. When you go out and everyone wants to leave and that one friend wants to stay, be a bigger friend and talk that person into leaving with you or hang out until that person is ready to go. That should be the motto: no one left behind.

Are date rape drugs still an issue on college campuses?

It’s always a concern. Obviously, never leave drinks unattended. It doesn’t take very long for someone to drop something in it. We do hear reports of people who believe it may have occurred. They only had one drink and they’re totally out of it, and that never happened before. Your best bet if you have an open drink is to leave it, forget about it, and go get another one.

How often is alcohol a factor in campus crimes?

There is a large correlation between alcohol and different crimes. All the reports we get, the disorderliness, the fights, the altercations, vandalism, you name it, it runs the gamut—usually you find that 9 times out of 10 alcohol was involved.

The BUPD urges students, faculty, and staff to report suspicious people and activity on or near campus by calling 617-353-2121 or text messaging tip411 (847411), keyword: BU. Paré suggests programming the phone number into your cell phone.

BU’s Escort Security Service phone number is 617-353-4877.

Amy Laskowski contributed to this article. She can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu.

This article was originally published on September 1, 2010, and has been updated to reflect current information and statistics.