Text Rutgers Police if You Need Help, Campus Police Announce

New Brunswick, NJ - Rutgers University police announced a new effort to improve safety on campus: A text message students can send right to campus police if they need help. Patch tested it, following the instructions below, and immediately got several texts back from Rutgers police asking what the problem is and how they could help.

How it works:

The “Text to RUPD” service allows students to talk to the Rutgers University police in real-time, over text message.

1. Text “RUNB” and your message to 69050
2. If your message is successfully delivered to the RUPD, you will receive an auto-reply
3. If you do not receive a response, please be sure that your phone’s auto-correct did not change any of the required information and that you included a space after RUNB

The system will be monitored 24/7 by the RUPD’s Dispatch & Communications Center, has the ability to receive text and picture messages, and will display the cell number of the individual sending the text message so that Public Safety personnel can interact directly via text.

This service is not intended for emergency situations, RU police say. For all emergencies, please dial 9-1-1.

Recent crime at Rutgers

The text RUPD program launched February 5.

There have been several incidents of crime at Rutgers in the past few months: A fight outside Old Bay Restaurant Friday night resulted in an attempted murder charge; four juveniles surrounded a man on the Cook/Douglass campus, knocked him to the ground and took his cell phone; and a female Rutgers student said she was inappropriately touched on a campus bus on Jan. 26.