See Something, Say Something

Capitalizing on the “see something, say something” motto provided by law enforcement, the line of what to report can become easily blurred. 

Middle Tennessee State University Police Department protects and serves the MTSU campus and its students. MTPD’s Sergeant Katelynn Liedtke provided the station’s top safety tips for this academic year.

“If you can help it, don’t walk alone at night and park in well-lit areas,” Liedtke said. “Stay aware of your surroundings.”

The station provides students with 24-hour walking escorts that are available through the police dispatch number. 

“Also note where the emergency call boxes are located on campus should you ever need them,” Liedtke said.

The department offers the adopt-a-cop program where every campus residence hall has an officer assigned to the building. The program hopes to ensure that students residing in dormitories on campus feel a stronger sense of security through the foot patrols and the program’s presentations.

Although campus policies prohibit the use of personal protection items in the form of firearms, the department encourages the use of other forms of protection. Appropriate protective items include mace, tasers, stun guns, and keychains. 

In addition to protective items, the MTSU Police Department hosts a Rape Aggression Defense class. The self-defense-based course is free for all women over the age of 13 and is open to the general public, not just the MTSU campus community.

“Students can also download the RaveGuardian app,” Leidtke said. “With this, students have access to a panic button which is a direct immediate connection with campus security.”

With RaveGuardian, students can set trusted individuals as “personal guardians” and notify campus security and their guardians of their safety status. 

The MTPD provides non-safety-related services to students. These include vehicle jump starts, unlocking vehicles, and Operation ID. Operation ID is a system in which you can register valuables with campus police if something ends up stolen.

“We also encourage that, ‘if you see something, say something,” Leidtke said. “We have no issues coming to check on something that is raising concern for someone.”

So next time you walk across campus and feel unsafe, you can call and have an officer escort you. Or next time you need a jump start, the officers of MTPD are happy to help.

Remember that no matter how small it may seem, if you see something, always say something. Students can reach MTPD at 615-898-2424.