Police raise awareness for campus safety
Police officer Rosie Salazar watches over Roman Sotelo, 18, as he participates in a drunk driving obstacle course near the LRC Center.
The campus hosted an event for National Campus Safety Awareness on Sept. 11.
Students and faculty participated in a district-wide event where they learned about drunk and distracted driving, sexual assault prevention, and active shooter preparedness.
“I think in general our law enforcement needs to be more community-based,” said Sociology Professor Donnisha Lugo.
September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month and in efforts to combat the epidemic of vehicle accidents, the CRC Police Department had simulations that showed students what distracted and drunk driving can do.
“Being drunk while driving isn’t cool at all,” said animation art major Chevalier Lott, 23.
Lott participated in the “drunk driving” simulation where he had to navigate between cones while wearing goggles that made his vision similar to a driver who would fail a breathalyzer test.
“You think you know where you’re going but you’re actually swerving everywhere,” said Lott.
Spanish major Roman Sotelo, 18, also participated in the drunk driving obstacle course.
“Drunk driving makes everything worse,” said Sotelo.
Driving under the influence is one of the top five traffic violations that cause accidents, according to the Sacramento Police Department webpage.
The event was geared more towards distracted and drunk driving, as that is more prevalent around campus, said campus police officer Rosie Salazar.
“It’s really scary to drive after you drink,” said Lott. “Now I know how it feels while you’re drunk and you’re driving.”
While teaching students how to be safe on the roads, campus police also want to teach students how to be safe on campus in case of an on campus crisis.
“Run, hide, and fight” are the things to remember in a crisis situation, according to the Los Rios Police Department.
Putting forward efforts to make students and staff feel safe, campus police also offers police escorts on campus.
Police escorts are offered on all Los Rios campuses at no charge all year long.
Blue emergency telephones are also posted around campus for the safety of students, staff, and visitors. By pressing ‘zero’ you are automatically directed towards dispatch where you can report an incident or request a police escort.
While National Campus Safety Awareness Month may be coming to an end, students are encouraged to remember these tips year round in order create a safer campus for everyone.