UKPD and UK ITS pilot student employee safety events
Whether you’re a University of Kentucky Information Technology (UK ITS) student worker or find yourself on the University of Kentucky campus late at night, it’s important to follow a few tips that will help you and others stay safe.
“The UK Police Department encourages everyone on campus to immediately contact us if they feel unsafe,” UKPD Senior Officer Mike Culver said. “Additionally, we recommend downloading and familiarizing yourself with the LiveSafe app, which is customized for our campus and facilitates swift communication with our department.”
That is the message from UKPD, who provided safety information and answered questions from student workers at the Gatton Student Center, The Cornerstone and the Media Depot in the basement of W.T. Young Library in early May. Officers also brought Hudson, a five-year-old English lab, who works as a community therapy dog.
Lily Cruse, an employee at the Student Media Depot in W.T. Young Library, was grateful to be informed about the resources available to UK students, especially those that work on campus.
“It’s good to know UK Police will be at the scene quickly and it was nice to learn about SVU and other victim services,” Cruse said.
UKPD officers said for students who work on campus at night, it’s important to remain vigilant of your surroundings inside and outside of buildings. For example, don’t walk through campus scrolling through your smartphone — especially at night.
UKPD reminded students that as an open campus, many people who are not students, faculty or staff visit UK every day. If student workers encounter someone who begins shouting or acting aggressively towards anyone on campus, the best thing to do is to create space between yourself and that person, leave the situation and call for help.
“One of the most important things you can do is to keep a barrier between you and anyone who might be yelling, acting aggressively or making you feel unsafe.” Officer Culver said. “If someone is getting worked up, a barrier can buy you the time you need to leave the situation and call for help.”
Here are a few safety tips UKPD suggests following:
- Download the LiveSafe app. This app allows students, faculty and staff to be tracked for safety. The app also allows the user to communicate with and report to UKPD. The app also features a texting option, which gives people the opportunity to communicate with UKPD without calling.
- Know the location of Blue Emergency Towers. These emergency towers located throughout campus have a call button that immediately connects you with UKPD. A map of emergency towers is available in the LiveSafe app.
- Feel unsafe walking alone at night? Call 257-SAFE. This student safety program can arrange an escort to walk with you on campus or schedule rides around campus. The service is free.
- Report suspicious activity. If someone sees something suspicious, they should report it by using the LiveSafe app or by calling UKPD. The LiveSafe app gives users the option to send a photo of a suspicious person or situation. Specific details help officers know what to look for.
- Anonymous reporting. For those who do not want to contact the police directly, there are ways to do so anonymously through the LiveSafe app.
- Submit a tip. The LiveSafe app has a feature that allows users to easily submit a tip, which could be as simple as a light replacement repair or as serious as reporting an incident.
- If you ask yourself whether you should contact UKPD, contact them. UKPD officers would much rather show up to a situation that turns out to be nothing than to handle the aftermath of a situation.
Officer Culver said, “Remember if you see something out of the ordinary, say something. Every tip helps us take proactive steps to promote a safe and secure campus environment.”
UKPD Chief Joseph Monroe said campus safety is a community effort.
"Campus safety is a shared responsibility. If you see something, say something. Utilize the LiveSafe app to reach us quickly and submit tips anonymously,” Monroe said. "Ensure that your UK Alerts are set up to receive text messages. Always be aware of your surroundings. Together, we keep our campus safe and secure.”
If interested in student worker safety training from UKPD, contact UKPDcommunity@uky.edu.
On May 30, UKPD needs volunteers for a full-scale crisis exercise on campus. For more campus safety tips, visit UKPD’s website. Additionally, UK ITS CyberSafe Cats website provides online safety tips for UK students.