NC West Virginia News

West Virginia University Police issued a Community Notice on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, addressing several incidents involving unauthorized entries into residential spaces on and off campus through unlocked doors.

"Security starts at home," stated UPD Chief Sherry St. Clair. "We want our University community — especially our students — to be vigilant about protecting themselves and their property, and the first step is securing all doors."

On February 21, a theft was reported by a student at Braxton Tower after leaving his room unlocked while taking a shower. No suspects have been identified yet by UPD officers.

Another theft occurred on February 23 in an unlocked room at Dadisman Hall. Although no charges have been filed, three individuals who were not WVU students but signed in as visitors were issued trespassing notices.

"As the investigations continue, I’ve assigned our Campus Safety Officers to work with WVU Housing resident assistants to talk directly with our students living in residence halls about the importance of locking up and following all guest and visitation policies," Chief St. Clair said.

A third incident took place on February 23 at an off-campus location on North Spruce Street near the Downtown area of campus when someone mistakenly entered an occupied home through an unlocked door.

"We know that person would not have gone into that home if the main door had been locked. Thankfully, no one was hurt," Chief St. Clair noted. "With this Community Notice, we are reminding all members of our University community to do their part to help us keep them safe."

Suspicious activities should be reported to UPD via phone or using the LiveSafe app for direct communication through text, photo, video, and audio messaging.

The notice also provided safety tips such as always locking exterior doors of residences and vehicles, inspecting locks regularly, not signing in unknown visitors at residence halls, reporting lost keys or IDs immediately, calling 911 if in danger or witnessing a crime, downloading the WVU LiveSafe app, and utilizing emergency call systems available on campus.

Additional resources for health and safety include contact information for various WVU departments like the Police Department, CARE Team, Carruth Center among others. Students and employees are encouraged to follow safety updates via social media platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) and enable notifications from the LiveSafe app.

This Community Notice is part of WVU's three-tiered emergency notification system aimed at enhancing safety for students and employees while providing valuable information to the community.