WEEKLY LUPD ACTIVITY SUMMARY
August 16, 2026 – August 23, 2026
During the Fall 2026 semester opening and move-in week, the Lehigh University Police Department recorded 225 total calls for service. Overall campus climate remained positive, with activity heavily centered on move-in logistics, residential access support, facilities responses, and routine safety patrols as students repopulated campus property.
SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS & CRIMES
Crimes Against Property/Person:
- Criminal Mischief: Damaged property was reported in a first-floor men's bathroom stall at Brodhead House involving carved graffiti. Officers documented the area and submitted a work order to ABM Services for surface repairs. No bias indicators were present. Status: Open.
- Theft / Receiving Stolen Property: An officer initiated contact on East Packer Avenue with an underage, intoxicated student who was carrying a commercial traffic cone belonging to a private traffic management company. The cone was recovered and returned to the vendor, who declined criminal prosecution. The student was found in possession of a fraudulent state driver's license and was arrested/referred to the Dean of Students. Status: Closed / Referred.
- Invasion of Privacy / Non-Consensual Recording: LUPD and Bethlehem Police investigated a report regarding non-consensual recording in a residence hall. Detectives interviewed all involved parties. The suspect voluntarily consented to a search of their cellular device; detectives found no digital recording on the device or in recent storage. The victim expressed satisfaction with the police response and declined criminal prosecution. The case was closed and formally referred to the Title IX Office and the Dean of Students. Status: Closed / Referred.
- Bias-Motivated Incidents: Zero incidents involving bias, harassment, or hate motivation were reported during this period.
Fraud/Drugs/Liquor:
- Phishing & Work-Study Scam: A student reported receiving an email from a spoofed address impersonating a Lehigh University professor offering a remote research assistant position. The suspect sent fraudulent checks totaling $600 with instructions to purchase retail gift cards. The student identified the scam before depositing the checks and reported it to LUPD. Identity theft protection resources were provided, and LUPD alerted the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Status: Open / Under Investigation.
- Underage Drinking & Fraudulent IDs:
- On Upper Sayre Park Road, officers discovered an incapacitated underage student passed out on a hillside. Officers provided immediate first aid until EMS arrived to transport the student to the hospital. A fraudulent state driver's license was seized, and the case was referred to Student Affairs.
- On Sayre Drive near House 84, an officer stopped a heavily intoxicated student stumbling near the roadway. The student registered a high blood alcohol concentration, turned over a fraudulent state driver's license, and was transported to St. Luke's Hospital via EMS. A citation was issued.
- At McClintic-Marshall House, LUPD and EMS responded to a Gryphon report of a heavily intoxicated female student. A fraudulent driver's license and liquor were confiscated, EMS transported the student to St. Luke's Hospital, and the matter was referred to the Dean of Students.
- At McClintic-Marshall House, officers responded to an intoxicated male in the lobby who was evaluated by Lehigh EMS and refused further care. Fraudulent IDs were seized from the individual and his roommate.
- At Delta Chi (House 86), three underage students observed carrying open alcohol containers voluntarily surrendered the beverages for destruction and were referred to Student Affairs. Additional party complaints involving underage drinking at Emery House and Brodhead House were investigated and referred to Student Affairs.
- A found fraudulent driver's license turned in to LUPD near Southside Commons was matched against university records to an undergraduate student, logged, and destroyed; the case was referred to Student Affairs.
- An off-campus assist on West 3rd Street resulted in Bethlehem Police arresting an underage student for underage drinking, public drunkenness, and possessing a false ID.
- Medical Amnesty & Safe Harbor Highlights: In alignment with the Timothy Piazza Anti-Hazing and Safe Harbor principles, LUPD prioritizes student health and safety above disciplinary outcomes. In multiple instances during move-in week—including calls initiated by residence hall Gryphons at McClintic-Marshall House and Emery House—students and student leaders promptly called emergency services for peers experiencing severe alcohol impairment. In these situations, individuals received immediate emergency medical evaluation and hospital transport without incurring punitive criminal charges for seeking help.
Facilities & Hazards:
- Gas Odor Responses:
- LUPD and the Bethlehem Fire Department evacuated Clayton University Center (Asa's Place / Clutch N Go) following reports of a gas odor. BFD conducted meter sweeps across all floors with negative gas readings, determining the smell was likely caused by discarded organic waste or exotic fruit. The building was cleared, the fire alarm was reset, and an all-clear HawkWatch alert was published.
- LUPD and Lower Saucon emergency services responded to a sulfur odor near Fieldstone Drive and Mountain Drive South, confirming it was sewer gas.
- Elevator Entrapment: Officers responded to the Mudd Building for an emergency call box activation regarding a student trapped in the North elevator on the 5th floor. Officers successfully manipulated the door release mechanism to extract the student safely without injury. Facilities was notified for repair.
- Building Water Leak: Heavy rainfall caused water to leak through a 12-inch ceiling crack in a room at Delta Chi (House 86). ABM and Fraternity Maintenance responded with containment equipment; no structural danger was present.
- Fire Panel Trouble Alarms: Six trouble panel alarms were investigated (Alpha Epsilon Pi House 102 pull station malfunction, Williams Hall duct smoke detector, Sherman Fairchild Physical Science, Cundey Varsity House, Iacocca Hall, and Stabler Arena). Life Safety was dispatched to repair non-resetting panels.
- Roadway Hazard / Broken Truck: A Sysco delivery tractor-trailer broke down while backing out near Upper Sayre Park Road, blocking both lanes. LUPD issued a HawkWatch alert and controlled traffic until roadside mechanics repaired the air-brake system.
- Glass Hazard: Tempered auto glass found broken in a Palmer House parking space was swept to the curb, and a cleanup work order was issued to BrightView.
SECURITY ALARMS & UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS
Suspicious Activity:
- Officers contacted three union representatives soliciting signatures along Memorial Walkway near Packard Lab. Officers informed them that signature solicitation is restricted on university property, and the individuals cooperatively relocated off-campus to public sidewalks along Brodhead and Packer Avenues.
- At Price Hall, officers responded to a report of an individual allegedly smoking marijuana on the patio. Officers identified the person as a parent working on a laptop after dropping off a student. No contraband was visible in plain sight; officers educated the parent on Pennsylvania law and Lehigh's smoke-free campus policy, and the parent cooperatively moved off the patio.
- A Gryphon at McClintic-Marshall House reported receiving a phone call from a person who was in a former relationship with a student. The caller was posing as a student's relative to ascertain their location. The student was given support and advised to turn off location sharing.
Security Breaches:
- During routine patrol, an officer found ground-level security screens unlatched and multiple interior windows unlocked at House 99 (an unoccupied residence hall for the semester). Officers entered and fully secured all windows and exterior screens.
Alarms:
- Door Prop / Extended Door Held Alarms: Six door-held alarms were handled, including loading dock doors at Lamberton Hall (contractors working) and Imbt Lab, as well as move-in main entrance doors at Singleton House and Hitch House where rocks were found propping doors open. Rocks were removed, and doors were secured.
- Emergency Call Boxes & 911 Hang-Ups: Call box activations were checked at Mohler Lab, Asa Drive crosswalk, Mudd Building, University Center, and Packer Avenue; an accidental 911 hang-up occurred at Beardslee House. All yielded negative findings of distress.
TRAFFIC STOPS & ENFORCEMENT
Traffic Stops: LUPD officers conducted 8 traffic stops on public roads surrounding campus.
- Stop Reasons & Outcomes:
- Wrong-Way Driving (2 stops): Asa Drive / Webster Street (driver stopped to photograph vehicle under pedestrian bridge; verbal warning issued); Lamberton Drive / University Drive (student driver cited for wrong-way driving).
- Unlit Headlights (3 stops): Packer Avenue / Memorial Walk (driver assisted with automatic headlight settings; verbal warning issued); Brodhead Avenue / Summit Street (student driver issued verbal warning); Webster Street / Packer Avenue (verbal warning issued).
- Failure to Yield / Stop Signs (3 stops): Lower Sayre Park Road / Upper Sayre Park Road (student driver failed to yield; verbal warning issued); Taylor Street / Packer Avenue (non-affiliated driver warned); Lamberton Drive (student driver warned for failure to yield).
SERVICE & LOGISTICS
Lockouts: LUPD responded to 112 residential and building lockouts throughout move-in week.
- Notable incidents included resolving wrong keys issued by Housing Services (Kappa Delta), educating students on the residual battery access feature for mobile credentials on iPhones (Singleton House), extracting snapped keys from residence hall door locks (McClintic-Marshall House), and assisting with SALTO electronic lock sync errors. Officers also provided one lockout service for an ROTC member at Jordan Hall.
Welfare Checks ("Check Person"): 4 welfare checks were conducted.
- Officers responded to two medical alerts regarding low blood suger. In both cases, officers and Lehigh EMS evaluated and stabilized the students. Officers also checked a pedestrian carrying sealed beer cans who was confirmed to be 21 years of age.
Assistance & Medical:
- Vehicle Jump-Starts: Four vehicle battery jump-starts were provided (Chandler Ullmann, Farrington Square C, Delta Chi, and Rathbone Dining Hall).
- Medical First Aid & Transports:
- Hornet Swarm: A group of students was swarmed by hornets on the walking trail between ATLSS Drive and Research Drive. One student, stung multiple times, dropped a backpack; officers retrieved the backpack, delivered it to the student at the Health Center, taped off the trail, and notified Facilities.
- Off-Campus Wasp Sting: An off-campus student stung on the lip by a wasp on Webster Street was transported to St. Luke's Hospital by Bethlehem EMS.
- Ankle Injury: A graduate student who tripped and twisted an ankle near Sherman Fairchild was evaluated and transported to the Johnson Hall Health Center by LU EMS.
- Cut Forearm: A Gryphon at Dravo House cut her forearm on broken glass. Officers applied pressure bandaging, and an LUPD detective provided a courtesy transport to St. Luke's Emergency Room.
- Accident & Belongings Transport: Lower Saucon Police requested LUPD assistance after a student's vehicle was disabled in a motor vehicle accident on Mountain Drive South. An officer utilized a police utility truck to transport the student and damaged move-in belongings safely to their residence hall.
- Package Transport: Officers assisted a student at the Farrington Square Bookstore Mail Center by transporting an oversized package in a police truck to his residence hall.
- Move-In Parent Injuries: EMS evaluated two parents who sustained minor injuries during move-in (a finger cut at University Center and a back slip on stairs at the Bookstore; both declined hospital transport).
- Escorts: One secure money escort was conducted from the Bursar and Ticket offices to Wells Fargo Bank.
TRENDS & LESSONS LEARNED
- Key Habits & Mobile Credentials: Over 100 lockouts occurred during move-in week. Students are encouraged to keep physical keys on lanyards and update mobile credentials at Salto readers. iPhone users should note that the Lehigh Pass mobile credential continues to unlock doors for several hours even after the main phone battery is depleted.
- Propped Exterior Doors: Propping exterior doors with rocks or doorstops compromises building security and triggers automatic security alarms. Residents should ensure exterior doors remain latched at all times.
- Phishing Vigilance: Students must remain cautious regarding unsolicited work-study or research employment offers sent to personal inboxes that involve depositing checks and purchasing gift cards. Always verify sender credentials in the university directory.
- Medical Amnesty & Peer Safety: LUPD prioritizes student health above all else. Under Safe Harbor and medical amnesty principles, students should never hesitate to call 911 or LUPD (610-758-4200) when a peer is severely intoxicated or experiencing a medical crisis. Seeking emergency assistance will not result in punitive disciplinary action.