College students only recently returned to school for the fall, but there have already been reports of serious crimes from multiple universities across the country.
At Oklahoma State University, a sexual assault -- at Stanford, a rape -- and at Hofstra, an armed robbery.
College students should know there are tools out there to help them protect themselves. On TODAY Thursday, national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen tried out safety products to see if they really work.
Get Jeff Rossen's book "Rossen to the Rescue" here
Rossen travelled to the University of San Diego. We chose the school in part because of its low crime numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
There, Rossen tried a dorm and apartment safety kit from Sabre, that includes a window alarm and a door stop. He also demonstrated the free Noonlight app, which sends the user's GPS location and description to local police if a student feels threatened or is being attacked.
Purchase the dorm and apartment kit from Sabre here
Download the free Noonlight app here
Here are a few more safety tips all students should keep in mind:
- Think twice before sharing your location on social media and take steps to turn off location tracking on your phone.
- Consider asking for an escort from campus security services when walking alone at night.
- Familiarize yourself with campus safety procedures. Also, program the campus security dispatch number into your phone and familiarize yourself with the nearest “blue phones” at frequently visited campus locations.
- Ask campus security for a personal alarm, which many schools often provide for free.
- Check your school's criminal statistics, which every school is required to provide to the U.S. Department of Education.