Jay’Mi Vazquez – New Editor
Campus safety is something every student at any university worries about. The university police station is open all day, every day of the year aiding any student who needs help.
Interim Police Chief Kenneth Rahn said every student plays a role in keeping the Owl community safe.
“Students, staff and faculty play a tremendous part in why we are successful here,” Rahn said.
Seargent Cynthia Torres also said that students play a tremendous role in campus safety.
“We have to keep each other safe and be eyes for each other and for ourselves,” Torres said.
The police station encourages students and faculty to call at any time to report anything that seems suspicious. The officers at the university want students to be reassured that they are always there to support them, Rahn said.
“Pay attention to your surroundings and if you see anything suspicious reach out to us,” Rahn said.
“If you see something, say something,” Lieutenant Richard Anderson said.
If any crimes take place near campus, the officers at the university ensure that students will be safe, Rahn said.
“We have a number of alert systems and information-sharing systems with nearby agencies. So, we will almost up to the minute hear when something happens. If we think it’s something that is impactful on the safety of the community, we’ll send it out through a southern alert or on our Instagram page,” Rahn said.
Seargent Cynthia Torres said that all the officers provide the information to keep everyone safe.
“LiveSafe, text messages, emails, weather emergencies or the siren of public address… everybody is going to know exactly what to do,” Torres said.
Torres encourages students to download the LiveSafe application on their mobile device. The LifeSafe app has been designed to help students feel safe at all times, Torres said.
The app is programmed with the ability to calculate how long it should take you to walk certain distances. If you take longer than usual, the app will contact an officer or make it easier for students to contact the station, Rahn said.
Torres said there is an annual Cleary report that is accessible to everyone that provides statistics for all the crimes that have taken place on campus.
“The new one comes out in October online… It’s a document that is put together yearly but is accessible to everyone. It’s our report to the department of education to accurately keep track of what crimes took place on campus for the year,” Torres said.
All the officers on campus want students to feel safe but also that they are a part of the university’s community.
“I think it’s important for students to know we are here and are a resource available to them,” Torres said.
Rahn said how the offices want to provide skills to students so they can be safe on and off campus. Applying these safety skills in their daily lives to help everyone be safe.
Anderson said, “We want students to know we are a part of this community. We really consider ourselves family and mentors to all the students… we want students to be able to come talk to us any time that they want.”