Baylor University Police Department Hosts National Night Out Event for Campus Community

NNO is ‘America’s Night Out Against Crime’ focusing on safety and crime prevention

WACO, Texas (Sept. 26, 2018) – The Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) is hosting National Night Out, #BUNightOut, for the Baylor residential community at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, on Fountain Mall.

Now in its 35th year, National Night Out, an annual nationwide community-building campaign, was developed to promote police-community partnerships. The Baylor campus community will join other communities throughout Texas to focus on building safer neighborhoods and developing relationships with local law enforcement. BUPD’s National Night Out event is catered to the Baylor residential community to promote overall campus safety and crime prevention.

“This event is an opportunity for the Baylor residential community to come together and build a good foundation of safety measures to incorporate into their daily lives. There will be information available on important topics such as alcohol awareness, texting and driving, sexual assault awareness and prevention, bike safety and the drug take-back program,” said Crime Prevention Officer Scott Curry, who organized the event.

“We wanted our students to educate themselves on these vital topics, but do it in a way that reinforces community while having fun,” Curry said. “All who attend are essentially taking a stand against crime and all it entails, and we in Baylor’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) want to support them in every way possible.”

National Night Out Schedule of Events:

• Corn Hole Tournament: This event will be a 9-point single elimination tournament. The winner takes on the stellar team from BUPD. A trophy and prize will be awarded to the winning team.

• Chief’s Challenge: Attendees are encouraged to find BUPD Chief Brad Wigtil and take a selfie with him and post it to Instagram using the #BUNightOut hashtag. Those who participate will receive the coveted DPS “Challenge Coin.”

• Fatal Vision Course: Participants will drive golf carts and attempt to navigate a course lined with traffic cones while wearing fatal vision goggles or “drunk goggles” to demonstrate the dangerous effects of drinking and driving. At the end of the course, participants will take two standardized field sobriety tests.

• Dunking Booth: Students will have an opportunity to dunk BUPD officers and Parking Services staff.

• Bicycle Safety Checks: BUPD will conduct safety checks on students’ bike hardware and will provide information on bike safety.

• Drink Detective: A vendor will provide cards that can detect if drinks have been compromised with drugs such as Rohypnol and GHB.

• Texas Department of Transportation: The department will provide education on the dangers of distracted driving and answer questions pertaining to the distracted driving law that was passed during the past legislative session.

• Hide, Lock, Take (HLT): The Baylor Car Club is helping promote “Hide, Lock, Take,” a vehicle-theft and burglary prevention program.

“The Baylor University Police Department believes strongly in developing relationships with the students, staff and faculty that we serve. By building these relationships, we hope to engage our community members to partner with BUPD to enhance the safety on the campus. National Night Out is just one program that BUPD sponsors to help build bridges to our community,” said BUPD Chief Brad Wigtil. “I encourage all of the Baylor family to join us on Tuesday, October 2 for some fun, food, personal safety learning opportunities and, most importantly, to meet the dedicated staff of your Baylor University Police Department.”

Other activities include prize table, T-shirts and an impaired obstacle course, where participants maneuver through an inflatable obstacle course while wearing “drunk goggles.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.