Our Opinion: Until all 911 calls on campus are automatically forwarded to Campus Police, students should familiarize themselves with the department’s emergency phone numbers.

Quick quiz: Do you know the phone number for N.C. State Campus Police in case of an emergency?

Although many would resort to dialing 911 if an emergency should arise on campus, it is important to note that Campus Police has its own phone number for emergency calls that are directed exclusively to it.

The reason we bring this issue to light is because Campus Police is working on a plan to make 911 calls from campus automatically forwarded to its operators. Currently, dialing 911 for a campus emergency results in your call being first sent to the Raleigh Police Department’s dispatchers, who then forward the call to our own police force. This can mean valuable time is lost during a crisis while different police departments are relaying information.

Students should have the number for Campus Police committed to memory, or at least entered into their cellular phone books. It saves critical seconds during an emergency by eliminating the RPD middle-man or the need to search Google for Campus Police’s phone number.

Campus Police estimates that by June 1, all land lines on campus will automatically direct 911 calls to Campus Police. In addition, in the near future all cell phone users on campus will be able to enjoy this option.

Until then, it is important to know who to contact in the event of an emergency. Even though such critical situations are few and far between for most college students, one quick look at the police blotter testifies to the fact that our Campus Police officers are an essential resource that we can thankfully be able to employ every day.

Campus Police (nonemergency): 515-3000Campus Police (emergency): 515-3333