As the fall semester approaches and nights get longer, campus police wish to make students aware of an underutilized program.
“Operation Safewalk” provides a police escort to your vehicle or between buildings when requested.
“[Safewalk] is a highly underutilized program, but at the same time it’s a good thing people feel safe walking on campus,” UCO Police Chief Jeff Harp said.
The program is used primarily for students that have evening classes and feel unsafe walking to their vehicle on the outskirts of campus.
Faculty, staff and visitors, however, can use the program for any reason.
“I feel much safer about taking evening classes now that I know about the program,” said incoming freshman Jackie Smith.
The escorts are primarlily unarmed student employees of the police department. The escorts do have a police radio and many have golf carts at their disposal.
Much of the utilization of the program comes from escorts riding around campus and asking people if they would like a ride.
Police feel that simply the presence of another person, especially with a radio, deters crime.
The program was started over a decade ago and is very similar to programs at other schools.
When it was started, the primary means of requesting an escort was via the orange call boxes located in every building.
Today, nearly 95 percent of all Safewalk patrons call for an escort via cell phone, Harp said.
“People feel safer because of cell phones in their pocket,” Harp said. “That’s why statistically the numbers [of users] have gone down.”
Students will often call ahead and stay in their cars until the escort arrives.
Organizers of the program say that they will not take reservations for an escort.
“We will work to meet the needs of the community,” Harp said. “We will assign our staff to the extent necessary to meet the demands.”
While organizers do not know the exact number of users per week, they estimate it to be in the single digits.
Commuter students are the smallest group of students to use the program.
Organizers believe that they are not aware the service is available to them.
If students park off-campus, the escort will take them to the edge of school property but will not go off school grounds.
“We will stand there and watch as long as we can,” said Harp.
The department is currently looking for means to upgrade the program.
Students needing an escort are encouraged to use one of the call boxes or call dispatch at 974-2345.
Safewalk buttons on campus
By Austin Melton, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Updated: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Be the first to comment on this article!