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Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255
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Life Crisis Hotline - 410.749.HELP(4357) - Domestic Violence, Suicide Prevention, Child Abuse, Sex Assault
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Salisbury City Police - 410-548-3165
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Wicomico County Sheriff's Office - 410-548-4891
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Salisbury University Police - (410) 543-6222
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888-813-4434 USTASC Operations Center
I received a "Safety Notice"?
You may have received a "Safety Notice" for a variety of reasons. Usually we give these notices out on calls for service, incidents, or if you are a victim of a crime or a complainant. Unless noted at the bottom of the notice, you do not have to do anything else. The notice is just information on how to be safe or to contact us regarding an investigation into an incident.
Are you Law Enforcement Officers/Is this a Law Enforcement Agency?
Our patrol personnel, generally, are not police officers. However, some of our patrol personnel may very well be off-duty police officers working in a part time capacity and some are licensed private detectives. Those that are off-duty police officers will identify themselves as police officers. Those that are private detectives will identify themselves as private detectives. USTASC is a security consulting company, not a law enforcement agency, that provides services such as patrol operations, private detectives (providing both criminal and civil investigations), active shooter prevention, firearms training classes, and more.
My party was "broken up", the police, USTASC responded. Now what happens?
There are several response possibilities:
1. The police respond - The police may or may not write a report or issue citations. If the police write a report, it maybe submitted to the university for further action. The police may make criminal arrests if required.
2. USTASC responds - USTASC responds in one of two situations:
a) We get a complaint. Typically this is from a resident (a neighbor) or may have even been from a person at your party that you asked to leave or denied entry to. Regardless we have to respond to investigate.
b) We observe that the party is getting out of hand
In the second instance, we weigh the resident's ability to have people over and have fun against public safety and the general safety of the community and other residents. Typically if people are under control and generally inside with no complaint, we leave parties alone.
When people are outside yelling, there are intoxicated people wandering around, people laying on the grass intoxicated, vomiting, or urinating, this is a situation we would act on. If USTASC responds the respond personnel have two options:
i) Complete a log entry, this typically takes place if the USTASC personnel tell you to "turn it down", this is generally less serious.
ii) Complete an incident report- This reports details the incident and gets sent to your management company for follow up. The management company action is beyond the control of USTASC.
3. USTASC and the police respond - Either option 1 & 2 could occur or they could both occur, depending on the seriousness of the incident.
Security Tips
We very much want to provide our clients with a safe environmental however, we may not always be working and when we are working, cannot be everywhere, all of the time. Although the following recommendation may seem like common sense, we come across these issues daily. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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ALWAYS LOCK YOUR VEHICLE. - We have an inordinate amount of "rouge and vagabond reports". Rouge and vagabond is when a person enters an unlocked vehicle with the intent of stealing belongings. Most of the time this is because people have left their vehicles unlocked. Criminals go around testing door handles and when the find an unlocked vehicle, it's like Christmas. Always lock your vehicle doors.
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DO NOT leave your vehicle running unattended, if there is a key in the ignition, even on cold days. While it may seem like a good idea to warm up your vehicle prior to leaving on cold days, this is an excellent way of getting your vehicle stolen. Never leave your vehicle running with the keys in the ignition. Besides it being foolish, it is actually illegal.
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Remove all important or valuable belongings from your vehicle and/or keep them out of sight.
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LOCK YOUR HOUSE DOORS. - Again this seems like a no-brainer but, we are constantly surprised at the people that leave their front doors unlocked. If you leave your doors and windows unlocked, you are inviting a burglary, robbery, or sexual assault.
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USE PEEP HOLE OR ASK WHO IS AT YOUR DOOR. Don't open the door unless you recognize the person. - Don't just open your door to strangers. Always ask who they are and what they are doing there. If you don't recognize the person, do not open the door. Call the police if you feel the situation warrants such.
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If out, make sure you have a designated driver. - Don't drink and drive. Drinking and driving can get you, your occupants, and other motorists killed. One night of drinking can result in a lifetime in jail.
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Do not get into vehicles with people you do not know. - During party situations, people tend to pile into vehicles with people they don't know. You are inviting a kidnapping or sexual assault.
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If having guests, do not invite over people you do not know. - "Open" parties are dangerous. You are inviting unknown persons into your residence who may rob, injure, or steal from you. They may also case your residence to burglarize it another day when you are not home.
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Do not use substances that may disorient you, especially if out at another persons house. - We've all been told that drugs are bad. But, beyond this drugs and alcoholic beverages obviously have a disorienting effect. Be careful how much you have to drink. Don't use drugs. Drugs these days are laced with all types of substances including Fentanyl, a deadly substance. K-2 or synthetic marijuana is frequently laced with unknown substances. Marijuana can also be laced with other drugs such as heroin or PCP. A lot of times people are victimized, especially females, when they are under the influence of substances.
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Watch your drink - It's very easy in social situations to loose track of your beverage, especially if you are consuming alcohol. Be aware that date rape drugs are on the rise.
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Always take your cellphone with you and make sure it's charged.
Why was I asked for my ID?
There are several reasons this may have happened. We have to complete reports on what occurs. If you are a victim, a witness, a complainant, or a person we otherwise need to notate, we may ask you for identification. We also ask for identification to establish if a person resides or works at a particular location. We use this information to determine if the person is lawfully allowed to be at the location. This is entirely legal.
Can I get a copy of a USTASC report?
USTASC reports are proprietary and are not released to the general public. If you are a client, you can request a copy of a report anytime. Reports are released to law enforcement agencies when required to investigate crimes. If you would like to receive an incident report that a law enforcement agency completed, you have to contact that agency directly.
Why was I being recorded on audio & video?
Recording in a public setting, such as outside in public, or any other place that is in public view, is entirely legal when there is no expectation of privacy. Any place that is in public view is generally recordable. We record interactions to limit our liability in situations and to enhance your safety and security during an incident.
Is USTASC always working?
No. We have specific hours we work according to our agreement with your management company. If you need something you can call us at any time and we will get back with you however, we do not respond to incidents during non service hours.
I have a compliment or concern about USTASC personnel
Unfortunately, sometimes what we have to tell people is unpopular, however that is our job. We strive to provide a professional interaction with the community at all times, free of bias, favoritism, or prejudice. USTASC employees must follow internal policies and procedures. If you feel that a USTASC employee has done something unethical, immoral, or illegal we need to know. We will investigate the issue internally and take action if required. You will not be notified of the action taken. However, your concern will be taken seriously.
We also want to hear if you had a good experience with a USTASC employee. Once you complete the form the compliment will be placed in his personnel file which will be considered for future advancement for the employee.