How safe are we?

I've covered several stories lately that have left me wondering, "just how safe are we?"

You may remember Frank Powell. He's the man accused of raping two women in College Station. Thankfully, he's behind bars, facing multiple charges.

Powell allegedly broke into two women's apartments and then raped them. As a woman, that is one of my greatest fears. I'm sure a lot of you would feel the safe way.

Then there was the trio of men who allegedly abducted a woman while jogging along Southwest Parkway. The woman claims she was forced into a dark-colored van and raped. Wow..my heart goes out to her. Plus, those men are still on the run.

Most recently, we went undercover at Texas A&M to check out dorm security. I was completely surprised about what I found, and as a sister of a Texas A&M freshman I was even more concerned. Turns out students just let you into the dorm, even our photographer Matt, who in my opinion doesn't even look like a student. Part of me understands why. As one student puts it, "it's just common courtesy." Texas A&M tells us students can either make sure the security system works or doesn't. The dorms are locked 24 hours a day and students have to have an ID card to get in. University officials tell us no extra security measures will be added.

After covering these stories, and basically living and breathing them for days, I've come to the conclusion our safety is in our own hands.

So, what do we do about that? I sat down with Janice Kemp with the College Station Police Department and these are the tips I found most helpful.

Be aware of your surroundings.

Use your sixth sense-when something feels suspicious it probably is-so contact police immediately. Don't call your mother or boyfriend, seriously call police.

Play the "what if" game. "What if someone broke into my house? What would I do?" Then come up with a solution.

Have a buddy. Safety really is in numbers.

Lock your doors and windows.

If something does happen to you, remember as much as you can about the event and people involved. Many crimes go unsolved, because there is not a good suspect description.

Yes, I know this all seem pretty common sense, but these tips could save your life.