Contact WCUPD

File a police report

Western Carolina University has a number of ways for campus community members and visitors to report crimes, serious incidents, and other emergencies to appropriate University officials. It is critical for the safety of the entire campus community that you immediately report all incidents to the University Police Department promptly to ensure an effective investigation and appropriate follow-up actions, including issuing a Crime Alert, Timely Warning or emergency notifications. In the event of a reported crime or emergency, there will be a public safety response to your location and the Western Carolina University Police will take appropriate action. All reported crimes will be investigated by the Western Carolina University Police on the property of Western Carolina University and at its discretion may conduct further investigation into the initial report.

Contact Information

For NON-EMERGENCIES dial 828.227.7301. For EMERGENCIES dial 828.227.8911. Additionally, during emergencies, individuals may dial 9-1-1 from their cellular telephones and report an emergency to the Jackson County Communications Center who in turn will relay the information to the WCU Emergency Services Communication Center. If you suspect a crime-in-progress, please call the police emergency number. If the incident does not appear to be a crime-in-progress, you may call the police non-emergency number and report the information. Please be prepared to give as much information as possible about the person, vehicle, or situation.

To contact a particular officer, you may refer to our Directory.

LiveSafe App

Western Carolina University utilizes the LifeSafe app which enables two-way communication with WCU’s Emergency Communications Center by using text, picture, video and audio. This app will also let you virtually walk your friends to various locations around campus with SafeWalk, follow the CatTran via Passio, and view the Campus Map. LiveSafe is available for free on Android and Ios devices. 

Voluntary and Confidential Reporting

If you are the victim of a crime and do not want to pursue action within the University System or the criminal justice system, you may still want to consider making a confidential report. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential, while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With such information, Western Carolina University can keep an accurate record of the number of incidents involving students, determine where there is a pattern of crime with regard to a particular location, method, or assailant, and alert the campus community to a potential danger. Reports led in this manner are counted and disclosed in Western Carolina University’s Annual Fire Safety and Security report.

NOTE:  It is important to note that the TIPS Line and Silent Witness reporting systems are not monitored at all times and should not be utilized for crimes in progress. Police reports are public records under state law, and the University Police cannot hold reports of crime in confidence. The safety of the WCU community depends on its citizens to report crimes and concerns promptly to support crime prevention efforts. Campus community members play an integral role in helping to keep our WCU campus safe. By reporting incidents, proactive measures can be taken to help prevent further victimization. Victims or witnesses may make confidential reports on a voluntary basis for the purpose of inclusion in the Annual Fire Safety and Security report by one of the following methods:

Police TIPS Line - 828.227.TIPS (8477)

The TIPS line is an unmonitored telephone line that allows the caller to leave a recorded voice message. Since the TIPS line is unmonitored, it should not be used to report crimes-in-progress. When leaving a message, the caller should be prepared to give as much information as possible about the person, vehicle, or situation. The caller does not have to leave his or her name. The University Police are unable to investigate incidents that occur outside of our jurisdiction, and it is requested to report those crimes to the appropriate agency. For questions about jurisdiction, please go to our Terms page.

Resources outside of the WCU PD are available to individuals wishing to remain anonymous. A list of additional departments providing resources to those in need can be found in the Victim Services box from our Police homepage.

Silent Witness Website

The Silent Witness website allows a user to send an anonymous e-mail message to the Police Department. Due to the anonymity of this reporting method, we request that the as much information as possible be submitted about the person, vehicle, or situation in question. It is optional if the sender wishes to provide his or her name and contact information. Please note that law enforcement actions may be limited based on the amount of information that is provided. The University Police are unable to investigate incidents that occur outside of our jurisdiction, and it is requested to report those crimes to the appropriate agency. 

Resources are available to individuals wishing to remain anonymous. A list of additional departments providing resources to those in need can be found in the Victim Services box from our Police homepage.

Blue Light Phones

Western Carolina University has blue light emergency phones throughout the campus. Emergency phones provide direct voice communications to the WCU Emergency Communications Center. These phones should be used to report suspicious activity, crimes in progress, or any emergency situation. To view a map of the locations of these phones, visit WCU’s Campus Map and select Emergency Phone.

Reporting to Other Campus Security Authorities

While Western Carolina University prefers that community members promptly report all crimes and other emergencies directly to the University Police Department, we also recognize that there will be reports made to other University Departments or Personnel. The Clery Act recognizes certain University officials as “Campus Security Authorities (CSA).” The Clery Act defines these individuals as “officials of an institution who have significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline and campus judicial proceedings. An official is defined as any person who has the authority and the duty to take action or respond to particular issues on behalf of the institution.”

To find out more about Campus Security Authorities, visit our Clery box on the main WCU Police homepage.