The Amarillo College Police Department is a fully functioning police force.
In addition to law enforcement, the department offers several services such as vehicle unlocks, vehicle jump starts, emergency medical assistance and numerous programs providing information on domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, drug and alcohol abuse, harassment and bullying.
Even though there are officers on each campus, some students still do not know much about them.
“There were times when I used to come at night that I’ve been scared to walk to my car,” said Marybell Mariblle, a paralegal major.
Mariblle said if she had known of some of the services, such as late-night escorts, she would have taken advantage of them.
Members of the department hope to bring more awareness to themselves and to how students, faculty and staff can use their services.
Officer Scott Acker will offer three new programs this year that will coincide with each other and revolve around the AC community helping and watching out for each other.
The first program will be “Alert Whistle,” in which every student and employee will be given an alert whistle to have in case someone sees another person in need of help.
The second program will be “If You See Something, Say Something.” It will promote everyone looking out for themselves and for others.
The third program, “Bystander Intervention” is aimed at students to help make them aware of their surroundings and help others when in the position to do so instead of staying quiet.
At the AC General Assembly Sept. 5, Acker said if someone sees a crime or someone who needs help, they should blow the whistle and bystanders will rush to help.
“Everyone here is a bystander,” Acker told attendees.
All the programs are extra measures to help keep students and employees safer this school year. Chief Steve Chance said ACPD has 32 safety and educational programs that can be presented to groups.
The department also has Campus Security Authorities on each campus. CSAs are trained to help students who come to them with any problem, but they do not investigate.
The presence of officers and CSAs on campuses brings peace of mind to some students on campus.
“It shows them (the bad guys) that they are here to do business,” said Mercedes Nasu, an art major.
Acker and the rest of the officers said they are doing everything they can to keep the AC community safe this school year.
In October, they plan to release the Annual Security Report, which will give students and faculty a closer look at how the department is doing.
The release of the report is required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
The act is named after a Lehigh University freshman who was assaulted and murdered in her residence hall room in 1986. It requires all institutions of higher education receiving federal financial assistance to prepare, publish and distribute a report concerning campus crime statistics and security policies. The report will be available to students, employees and visitors via email, which will include a direct link to the report.
A printed copy also will available at the ACPD or can be found online at www.actx.edu.
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