Safety for off-campus students has been put into question following the recent murders of four college students attending the University of Idaho.

While on-campus students can rely on emergency blue light boxes and Department of Public Safety presence, off-campus students may have to take safety into their own hands through self-defense measures or by calling the police.

Although off-campus students may not have campus related resources to rely on, officials of DPS said the best way to counteract distress is preparedness and prevention.

Captain of police operations and assistant director of DPS Jason Morgan said when an individual is dealing with an intruder situation, time is of the essence. He said having self defense training, air horns or pepper spray would help fend off the intruder.

“Anytime you have a bad guy, right, he understands once he starts committing the crime, the timer starts,” Morgan said. “If you make yourself a harder target, chances are he’ll move on and look for an easier target.”

Director of public safety and transportation Beth Glaus said crime prevention is a community matter, not just a “police thing.”

Glaus compared community crime prevention to acts of preparation for a snow storm. She said people tend to put up their windshield wipers or move their cars into their garage for safe-keeping, and individuals should treat personal situations the same, using preventive measures to protect themselves from risks.

Morgan said to also be wary of scams on the internet, as he warns individuals can try to steal personal information from students.

“Generally speaking, if something sounds too good to be true, you’ve heard this before,” Morgan said. “It is.”

Morgan said forms of “bait” for scams can come in many different ways: an attractive person, large sums of money, cute animals or “people wanting your pity.”

Glaus added if someone you don’t know is asking you for a ride, there are safer ways to respond then having to take care of the situation yourself.

“There are ways to handle that to still be responsive, but not put yourself at risk,” Glaus said. “Call the police or [you should] call the Transit Office or [you should] call community counseling. You don’t have to give them access to your space.”

Morgan said an important thing to keep in mind, particularly freshmen, is to familiarize yourself with your surroundings.

“I recommend to people, you know, always know the address of the building you’re going into, right? Know where you’re at if something happens,” Morgan said.

Glaus recommends students make sure they know the numbers for an area’s emergency services.

“From an emergency preparedness standpoint, we always encourage people to program those numbers in their phones,” Glaus said. “Put DPS’s emergency number in your phone for an emergency contact.”

Glaus said she had an experience years ago when she tested calling a 911 number in the Cape Girardeau area and ended up getting connected to emergency services in Alexander County, Ill.

She said technology has changed, but it’s something to keep in mind when finding what number to call in case of an emergency.

“Those are good things to think about, because what you're really doing is managing your risk,” Glaus said.