Crime Safety Tips

In our West Menlo Park neighborhood, University Park, we enjoy a very low level of crime; however, that doesn’t mean that we have zero crime. Occasionally, bad things happen. That said, there are many things we can do to address this:

• Steps you can take to make you safer and more resilient to burglary and similar crime
• Steps you can take as a neighbor to make your street and our neighborhood safer

A foundational key to having a neighborhood that provides safety, security, and a strong sense of we’ll being is Neighbors Knowing Neighbors.

Please make a point of introducing yourself to your neighbors. Share contact information. Know the people and the cars around you. To apply Willie Mays’s famous saying, when you see people walking in the neighborhood — “say hey”.

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Steps for your household

This section is in a draft – a work in progress. So please revisit in the near future.

With an emphasis on burglary, here are a few pointers:

• Don’t put your valuables in the home office, master bedroom, or master bathroom.
• Position security cameras to capture backyard, front street, front and back doors.
• Leave lights so they will turn on when you are away
• Let your neighbors know when you are away and make sure they have your phone number

Reporting Suspicion

Reporting of suspicious behavior should be to the Sheriff’s dispatch number. If you are certain of a crime, you might still get better timing and response by using the dispatch number. However, 911 can be used for emergency situations. 

Note: Our 911 calls often take extra wasted time because the 911 operator gets confused as to the jurisdiction of our neighborhood. We are in unincorporated San Mateo County, not the city of Menlo Park. In our neighborhood, crime is handled by the Sheriff and traffic issues by the CHP.

• First, call the sheriff dispatch at  (650) 363-4911
• Make sure you are safe and secure (stay away, don’t confront the suspects, lock your doors)
• Record the car being used (color, make, model, license, and any special identification features like stickers, damage, wheels)
• Call that neighbor whose house is targeted.   If you can’t reach the neighbor, call the next door neighbors to alert them.
• Report incident to  UnivPark@UnivPark.org – our neighborhood website email. It is so important that we notify the neighborhood when incidents occur — our neighborhood’s awareness and vigilance will help deter crime.

Read the Sheriff flyer on Residential Burglaries by clicking the button below: