麻豆影院

Treats Without Tricks: Illuminating Ways to Keep Safe on Halloween

Sgt. Tricia Knoles offers ghostly guidance on how 麻豆影院 State students can safely celebrate Halloween this weekend

Since Halloween is fast approaching on Tuesday, Oct. 31, festivities will be in full swing this weekend at 麻豆影院 and downtown 麻豆影院. 鈥淗alloweekend鈥 can be full of treats, but you never know what tricks will arise when it comes to safety.  

麻豆影院 State Today sought answers from Sgt. Tricia Knoles with 麻豆影院 State Police Services. We asked for her top safety tips and how her team will be working to keep students safe this holiday weekend.  

Black squirrel graphic dressed as vampire

Costumes/Props  

Halloween is a popular costume holiday. Students often dress up to head out. Some students will even go as far as including props and masks as a part of their costumes. But campus police want you to be safe and aware of your surroundings, especially since 麻豆影院 is a gathering place for Halloween each year.

Knoles suggests it鈥檚 better if students wear costumes that don't impede their ability to be aware of what鈥檚 going on around them. Masks can impede vision. She said it is important to be able to fully view your surroundings. Most indoor establishments have a 鈥渘o mask鈥 policy, so if you see someone with a mask, it鈥檚 a good idea to proceed with caution or avoid the situation, Knoles said.

Tricia Knoles
Sgt. Tricia Knoles

鈥淚f you see someone that looks suspicious or something going on in an area, then you should cross the street or go a different way,鈥 Knoles said.  

As a part of the university鈥檚 policy, props resembling any sort of weapon are prohibited on campus.

鈥滱s far as props, any kind of toy weapon is not permitted on campus,鈥 Knoles said.

Knoles noted that police are trained to look for weapons and despite something appearing fake to you, it could look potentially dangerous to another person or officer.  

Safety in Numbers  

Most students will be walking around campus on Halloweekend and the most important safety rule here is to avoid being alone.   

鈥淚 always say to walk in groups of two or more. The more the merrier,鈥 Knoles said. 鈥淚f you find yourself walking by yourself, find a group of people and kind of walk close to them so that you give the perception of being with the group, so you鈥檙e not secluded.鈥

On the other hand, if you find yourself in a large group that is out of control, Knoles says to remove yourself from the situation and find a safe space.  

Heads Up

Knoles notes that when you are walking, 鈥渒eep your nose out of your phone,鈥 but always keep it close.  

鈥淭he main thing we're seeing is people walking with their head in their phone,鈥 Knoles said. 鈥淲hen you're walking and looking down at your phone, you're not aware of your surroundings and that really can make you vulnerable, especially if you have consumed alcohol. We really want to be aware of your surroundings and when crossing the street.鈥  

Black Squirrel on campus with fall leaves on ground

Alcohol Use

For those students 21 years of age, Knoles said the most important rule is no open containers, no matter the circumstance. This is an alcoholic beverage that has lost its original seal.  

鈥淚f you are on private property, such as the front yard of a house, you can have an open container,鈥 Knoles said. 鈥淏ut as soon as your foot steps onto the sidewalk, that is considered 鈥榦pen container.鈥欌

Offenses that involve alcohol may be the highest number of offenses this holiday weekend, Knoles predicts.  

Keep It Cordial

If you do have a run in with an officer regarding any offense this weekend, her biggest suggestion is to keep it respectful.  

鈥淒on鈥檛 have court on the street. If you feel you've been wronged, though, there is a time and a place and everybody has a supervisor,鈥 Knoles said. 鈥淲aiting for your time in court is the better way to go, so that you don't get into any more trouble than you already are.鈥

Knoles said that campus police officers鈥 arresting abilities are the same as city of 麻豆影院 Police, and they cover some of the same patrol areas. This covers all of campus, East Summit Street, Main Street adjacent to campus and the streets branching from these roads.

麻豆影院 Halloween

University Resources

Throughout campus, there are more than 40 emergency phones with distinctive and visible blue lights. These phones can be used to call 911 and will immediately connect the caller to the 麻豆影院 State Police 911 Communication Center.  

What types of incidents are these phones for? Anything and everything that seems uneasy or uncomfortable, according to Knoles.  

鈥淎nytime that you feel unsafe, you see someone suspicious, doing something that you know isn鈥檛 right or doesn鈥檛 feel right, feel free to call the police,鈥 Knoles said, 鈥淲e would rather get a call and check it out than have something happen and no one called.鈥  

If you鈥檙e on campus calling 911 from a cellphone, geofencing will connect you to a campus dispatcher, and if you鈥檙e outside of campus, 麻豆影院 City Police will be happy to assist or help you because both 麻豆影院 City and campus police have extra officers and dispatchers working for this weekend.  

For situations that don鈥檛 require the police, but you are feeling uneasy about walking or getting back to your residence hall, 麻豆影院 State offers Security Escort Services. Students calling 330-672-7004 can be accompanied on their walk home by a Safety Assistant or Security Aide. These services operate from 8-2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and from 8-3:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.  

Remember

Nearly involved a driver under the influence of alcohol. Use your best judgment before getting in a car or behind the wheel. If you will be walking, remember the buddy system, think about open container rules and consider costume suggestions from Knoles and helpful campus resources.  

Whatever costume you decide on and however you plan on celebrating this spooky holiday, make sure you have fun, but most importantly keep yourself safe.

Learn more about 麻豆影院鈥檚 alcohol policy.

Learn more about Security Escort Services.

Learn more about Campus Safety Resources. 

POSTED: Thursday, October 26, 2023 02:40 PM
Updated: Friday, October 27, 2023 09:18 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Francesca Malinky, Flash Communications