Safety week spotlights UWM resources

Three people walk down a sidewalk.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Police Department and partners will be sharing ways to stay safe and healthy on and off campus during the university’s annual Campus Safety Week Sept. 24-27.

Safety Week kickoff is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24, 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 safety and first aid in action with a demonstration of defibrillator-assisted hands-only CPR with lifeguards from the Klotsche Center; self-defense and bike safety demonstrations from the UWM Police Department; and will also have a chance to chat with some of the campus’ S.A.F.E. walkers, 19 students who provide escorts, patrol the neighborhoods around campus and assist campus police. The campus police will also be demonstrating how police body cameras and the new Lidar speed sensors work. The campus ROTC will have a climbing wall available.

More than 30 campus and community organizations will take part, providing information on safety, health and victim advocacy. Among those who will be represented at the event are Innovative Weather,  B.O.S.S. (Be on the Safe Side) transportation services, FEMA, Military and Veterans Resource Center, Milwaukee Police and Fire departments, the Marquette University Police Department,  the UWM Student Association, the Women’s Resource Center, the Norris Health Center, LGBT Resource Center,  sororities and fraternities and the Dean of Students Office.

Students, faculty and staff will also have the chance to sign up for self-defense, CPR/first aid and active shooter trainings, bystander intervention and other free safety courses offered later in the semester.

The theme of this year’s event is “Together We Are Safe.”

“Having all the campus safety resources together in one place for this event reflects that theme,” said Craig Rafferty, community liaison officer for the UWM Police Department.

“Each year we put on Campus Safety Week in September, and each year it gets better and better,” said UWM Police Chief Joseph LeMire. “This is a testament to the time, energy and commitment of Officer Rafferty and our community policing team along with our collaborative partners on campus who come out to share resources, knowledge and training.  Safety in any community is never the result of individual people or groups.  It takes a whole community with a commitment to safety.”

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