The first night of the annual NC State campus Night Walk was held Monday in various locations such as Avent Ferry, Centennial Campus and Greek Village, providing students an opportunity to identify safety concerns around campus.
Night Walk, put on by the NC State University Police Department and Student Government, is designed to help both University Police and the community by giving students the opportunity to express their worries and for University Police to fix those issues reported by students.
There was a primary focus this year on how crime can potentially decrease through the look of an environment. All University Police Officers are trained in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, a program that manipulates a certain area to prevent crime from happening if a potential perpetrator sees that an area is well-maintained. For example, University Police recommends that trees are cut upwards so that individuals are able to see through.
Lighting was also a primary focal point of safety measures, as some street lights have a tendency to malfunction or have not been functioning for long periods of time. According to University Police, functioning lights were key in reducing crime such as preventing theft, spotting perpetrators and protecting individuals at night.
Officer Nate Hitchings, a member of the Crime Commision Unit and leader for the Avent Ferry Night Walk, discussed an initiative NC State is making to replace the current orange street lights.
“The idea is eventually when lights go out, they will be replaced with LED lighting that makes dark areas much more visible,” Hitchings said. “It’s all about visibility and being able to see stuff.”
University Police also disclosed that there are specific areas on campus that are purposefully not lit because these areas are not meant to be used at night, so they are unlikely to receive lighting. Advice given at these areas was to avoid them at night and to go with a group if individuals do choose to go.
Amy Clemmons, a first-year studying political science and student senator, expressed why she hopes more students come to safety events.
“I think students definitely notice safety concerns on campus, they just do not know how to address these concerns,” Clemmons said. “In my time in Student Government, students have brought up the issue of lighting and uneven bricks on certain parts of campus.”
Clemmons says that she wishes more students would advocate their safety concerns to student leaders on campus.
Hitchings also discussed how the number of reports of concerns tends to be low, explaining that it was not because there were no problems on campus, but rather that people just did not know about them and methods of reporting
“If you feel like there is something that should be addressed, it will be included in the report and people can always contact [University Police] at (919)-515-3000,” Hitchings said.
The second and final Night Walk will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8. If you would like to participate, registration can be found online.
