Columbia University takes campus safety very seriously. We are committed to making your campus and surrounding environs as safe and secure as they can possibly be. Our Department of Public Safety takes pride in its demographic diversity and strong focus on promoting an equitable and inclusive campus culture. Visit the Public Safety website to learn about all of the services that Columbia University provides. We’ve highlighted a few of these for you below.
Contact Public Safety
535 West 116th Street
101 Low Library, MC 4301
New York, NY 10027
Main Line: 212-854-2797
Emergency Line: 212-854-5555
Website: publicsafety.columbia.edu
On-Demand Evening Shuttle
We provide an On-Demand Evening Shuttle as a free and safe alternative to walking alone at night. This ride-share service can take students anywhere within the coverage area, seven nights a week until 3 am.
Emergency Notifications
Be prepared for any on-campus, NYC, national and international emergencies by registering for text message notifications. The Columbia Preparedness website offers students resources for safety alerts, including the University's Emergency Notification System.
Text message alerts will only be used in rare cases where ongoing events pose an immediate threat or have a significant impact. Possible scenarios include severe weather conditions, emergency campus closures, crimes in progress that may endanger the community, and major transit interruptions.
Students can easily register for text message notifications in SSOL. Simply log in to SSOL, click on "Text Message Enrollment" and add your cell phone number. Starting in the fall, students will be auto-enrolled into the system.
Lion Safe App
All the resources of Columbia University Public Safety are available at your student's fingertips through Lion Safe, a user-friendly app available for smartphones or tablets that allows the user to request emergency services at the touch of a button along with other useful quick links including maps, shuttle schedules, crime alerts, emergency protocols, campus safety notifications, and non-emergency numbers for each campus.
Blue Light Emergency Call Boxes
Columbia University Public Safety maintains several emergency call boxes with blue lights on top throughout the greater Columbia University campus area that provide an immediate response if your student needs help or feels threatened in any way.
Walking Safety Escort Program
Safety escorts trained by Public Safety are available at Morningside seven days a week to walk affiliates to their doors at night. Every campus has specific service areas and hours of operation.
Safe Havens
Occasionally, Columbia students, faculty or staff may feel uneasy about walking home, waiting for a bus or walking to a car. Columbia affiliates can look for the Red Lion at participating neighborhood merchants that are part of the Safe Haven program. At businesses featuring the Red Lion in their windows, students can ask the merchant to phone Columbia University Public Safety or the police and wait for security personnel to respond.
Lost and Found
The Department of Public Safety maintains a Lost and Found desk at the Morningside, Manhattanville and Medical Center campuses and also a lost item database. Students may inquire about lost items in person or by using the RepoApp Form. If you find property, please turn it in to any Public Safety officer or to your nearest Public Safety Operations desk.
Device Engraving
Public Safety can engrave students' laptop, mobile devices, or other property with a unique code to make it easy to identify property if it is stolen. To schedule an appointment to have device(s) engraved, students can contact our assistant director of crime prevention programs, Ricardo Morales at rm29@columbia.edu.