The SafeRides mission is designed to provide a safer community by offering free rides to students on weekends. SafeRides members also work to prevent drunk driving through their education and community outreach programs.

SafeRides is available 10 PM to 3 AM, Friday and Saturday nights during the academic calendar year. Students must be carrying their JACard to receive a ride and must be traveling to a residential address or university dorm. Students may only receive one ride each night, as the service is designed to drop students off at home. 

To request a ride from SafeRides, call (540) 568-7433 during their operating hours.

Safety escorts are provided free of charge to any student on campus. Escorts are provided by either Campus Cadets during on duty hours or JMU Campus Police when cadets are not on duty. Escorts are provided by Campus Cadets during the following times:

• Sunday - Wednesday: 7 PM to 2 AM
• Thursday: 9 PM to 2 AM
• Friday - Saturday: 9 PM to 3 AM

Safety escorts can be requested by dialing (540) 568-6913.

JMU’s Police Department has partnered with LiveSafe to create an app putting safety at your fingertips. With LiveSafe, you can do the following:

• Share information, tips, and safety concerns with police via text messaging, including picture, video, and audio attachments, or even through live chat.
• Decide whether to remain anonymous or send your caller ID and location to police immediately when you call or message for help; allowing faster response times.
• View a helpful safety map that displays where recent incidents have occurred and nearby safety locations.
• Let your family and friends see where you are by activating a GPS-tagged monitoring feature.
• Receive notifications regarding important safety information in your community.

Download LifeSafe on your iPhone at the Apple App Store or on your Android through Google Play. Select JMU as your agency and fill in your profile – you’re then all set. 

The JMU Police Department strives to improve the quality of life of those they serve by developing partnerships with the university community so that together they can effectively address issues and concerns. It is their primary goal to maintain a secure environment with equal protection under the law and to provide dedicated service for all persons living, working, and visiting with the university.

University Police are comprised of sworn and commissioned police officers, all with the same authority, responsibility, and training of Virginia police officers. Offices patrol the campus 24/7, enforcing state statutes and university regulations. Officers also provide assistance to the JMU community, respond to criminal incidents and traffic issues, and protect property within and around the university. The JMU/Harrisonburg Joint Patrol Task Force works in the surrounding extended patrol jurisdiction of the JMU Police Department including off-campus student housing areas.

The JMU Public Safety department can be used for emergency transportation services. More information on University Police can be found through the JMU Public Safety site. They can be reached at (540) 568-6913.

Skateboarders traveling on roadways have the duties of drivers of vehicles. When traveling on sidewalks, skateboarders have the general rights and duties of pedestrians. It is the responsibility of public safety officials to maintain a safe campus environment through enforcement of those provisions. Where breaches in safe operation of skateboards arise, public safety personnel may refer a student to the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices and a student may be charged with a violation of the Dangerous Practices policy.

Helpful Skateboarding Safety Tips:

1. Use of a helmet and other safety equipment is strongly recommended.
2. Skateboarders should ride as predictably as possible and at a speed where they are able to avoid hazards and stop when necessary.
3. Avoid areas where there is heavy pedestrian traffic and/or speed is hard to control.
4. Skateboarders should not attach themselves to any other vehicle on the roadway.
5. No skateboard should be used to carry more persons at one time than the number of persons for which it was designed or equipped.
6. Try to use bike lanes or keep as near as safely possible to the far right side or edge of the right traffic lane so that they will be proceeding in the same direction as other traffic. When riding in these areas, skateboarders have all the rights and duties of a vehicle under the same circumstances.

Accidents:

Bicyclists, motorists, skateboarders, or pedestrians must stop when involved in an accident and make a report. Report accidents involving death, injury or property damage to university police. All persons involved in the accident must give their names and addresses to the police and to any person involved in the accident or the property owner. If unattended property is damaged, the bicyclist must make a reasonable effort to find the owner and give his/her name to the owner. If the owner cannot be located, leave a note in a conspicuous place at the accident site and report the accident to the police within 24 hours.

For more information on skateboarding policies at JMU, click here.

Areas of Rescue Assistance (ARA)

Areas of Rescue Assistance act as direct phone lines to JMU Campus Police, and are located within university building stairwells and outdoors on campus grounds. These phone lines are housed in bright yellow boxes with a one-button, direct line to campus police. Outdoor ARAs can be recognized by the bright blue lights on top of the units.

Campus Police Cadets

The goals of the James Madison University Police Cadet Program are to ensure the safety and welfare of the campus community, to serve the inhabitants of this community, to assist JMU's sworn officers, and to reduce the impact of crime on the university and its inhabitants through patrol and the apprehension and adjudication of persons involved in criminal offenses.

The cadets duties include patrolling of assigned areas, securing academic and administrative buildings, escorts, and other security related functions of the campus. Cadets maintain radio contact with University Police at all times. The cadets are all students at James Madison University. Any student, of at least sophomore status, can apply for a cadet position. Cadets are carefully screened and trained before being placed into the position.

More information on Campus Cadets can be found through the JMU Public Safety site.