UWM focuses on safety

Two students stand on a street corner at night.

Being prepared and aware are keys to remaining safe. UW-Milwaukee police and partners will share the best ways to do so during Campus Safety Week Oct. 2-5.

The main events will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2, on UWM’s Spaights Plaza, 2380 E. Kenwood Blvd., just north of the UWM Student Union.

On that day, students will have a chance to see demonstrations on self-defense and the use of defibrillators, as well as learning the basics of CPR. Interactive demonstrations will tie in to the theme “A Safe Dose of Reality.”

Bicycle officers will be sharing information on bike safety, and the campus’ S.A.F.E. Walkers, who patrol nearby neighborhoods and provide escorts for students, will also be present to discuss their work.

Numerous campus and community organizations as well as neighboring police departments will provide information and answer questions at tables set up at the event. The topics covered will include sexual assault, stalking, interpersonal relationships, active shooter situations, automotive safety, fire safety/fire extinguisher training, opioid abuse prevention, weather alerts, being a good neighbor off campus, safe ride services, technology scams and more.

The Military and Veterans Resource Center will offer interactive games, and the campus ROTC program will offer a climbing wall.

UWM Police will have a demonstration table in Spaights Plaza to show how officers’ body-worn cameras work. Police have begun testing the cameras as a means of increasing safety and public confidence, with the intent of having all officers wearing them by the end of October.

They will begin using body-worn cameras with six police officers and expand the program to all 37 by the end of October. The campus community can provide feedback at listening sessions at 10 a.m. Oct. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 4. Both sessions will take place in room 181 of the UWM Student Union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.

In addition to the Oct. 2 event, throughout the week the UWM Police Department will be offering training on defibrillator use and CPR, classes on residential housing safety, alcohol awareness and self-defense, and active shooter information at residence halls and in campus buildings. Sign-up for those classes and for UWM’s RAVE alert system will be available between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Golda Meir Library at the northwest end of Spaights Plaza.

Campus and community partners include the Women’s Resource Center, Norris Health Center, Safety and Assurances Department, B.O.S.S. (Be on the Safe Side) safe ride services, Dean of Students Office, LGBT Resource Center, Military and Veterans Resource Center, University Information and Technology Services, Neighborhood Housing Office, the Shorewood Police Department, Milwaukee Fire Department, UWM ROTC, Community Advocates, the Wisconsin State Patrol, fraternities Phi Sigma Kappa and Alpha Sigma Phi and the UWM Student Association.

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