Department of Public Safety

Reporting a Crime or Incident

As a witness to a crime, or incident, your input may potentially provide our law enforcement personnel with the information needed to move ahead on a case or to prevent a crime.

Reporting a Crime or Incident

As a witness to a crime, or incident, your input may potentially provide our law enforcement personnel with the information needed to move ahead on a case or to prevent a crime.

Emergency Reporting

Emergency reporting includes all police, fire, and medical emergencies occurring on Brown University property (including the Medical School and other Brown satellite locations) or adjacent city streets. 

Call (401) 863-4111

4111 may be dialed from any campus phone. If you inadvertently dial 911 from a campus phone, you will be directed to the DPS Communications Center.

When reporting a crime, please take care to preserve any potential evidence for the officer(s) to view upon arrival. Victims of crime are connected to appropriate support services available at Brown.

Witnesses should remain in the area until the officer(s) arrive.  Witnesses may also call the DPS Detectives at (401) 863-9956 or (401) 863-3412 with additional information.

Non-Emergency Reporting

Non-emergency reporting includes all calls for routine DPS service to include non-emergency response to calls for suspicious circumstances, lockouts, lost or stolen property, or general assistance.

Call (401) 863-3322

Upon calling either the Emergency or Non-Emergency number, a DPS Officer will be dispatched to your location to take a report of the crime or incident. 

Silent Witness Reporting

Have you witnessed a crime, and wish to report it? This Silent Witness Form allows you to provide the Department of Public Safety with this valuable information anonymously. We understand that for some, witnessing a crime can be very distressing, and generate feelings of apprehension, and fear about reporting. Having the option to report crimes anonymously may alleviate such feelings. Reporting witness accounts of suspicious behavior and circumstances to Public Safety is essential to campus safety. As a witness to a crime, or incident, your input may potentially provide our law enforcement personnel with the information needed to move ahead on a case or to prevent a crime. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this valuable information.

Please note: This form is not to be used to report a crime in progress. Immediately call Public Safety at (401) 863-4111 to report a crime in progress on campus, and all Police, Fire, and Medical Emergencies. 

All Emergency (401) 863-4111 and Non-Emergency (401) 863-3322 calls into the Department of Public Safety are managed by our Communications Center personnel. The DPS Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional Communication Control Officers.