GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – After the recent shooting on Fifth Street, which injured an East Carolina University employee, and the death of a nursing student on the University of Georgia’s campus, ECU police said they are doing everything they can to keep the campus safe.
ECU Police Captain Chris Sutton said the department was part of the response to the shooting on Fifth Street on Wednesday. He said even though the shooting was off the campus, ECU sent out an alert notification. Sutton added the notification went out to 46,000 people and was spread through e-mail, text and social media.
“Safety is not just our number one priority here at the police department but it’s also a priority across campus. We’ve been working with faculty, we’re working with students and staff to make sure what we’re doing and what we’re putting out there is useful,” Sutton said.
Some students said they feel safe.
“This is a huge university, they send out e-mails, they send out alerts, the police department is always on campus. I feel like they’re doing the best they can,” said Jaelyn Green, an ECU student.
9OYS spoke to one ECU faculty member who agreed.
“I believe that police patrol regularly. I believe that there’s always a way to call for help,” History Professor Michael Gross said.
Sutton said one resource to keep students safe is the LiveSafe app. Users can request a SafeRide or escort from police, contact police immediately through a panic button, utilize the mental health and wellness feature and more.
“You can connect with me through the Safe Walk feature, and I could watch you as you move across campus. You could do that with your roommate or your parent so that people can see and know that if something happens and you don’t arrive when you should, they can go back and retrace your steps,” Sutton said.
He added that around campus, there are also blue light phones that students can use to contact police as well as 1,500 cameras that deliver police 2,200 different video streams.
“I would say that the response times for most things that happen on campus, we can typically be there on the scene in under a couple of minutes,” Sutton said.
While many students said they feel safe, some recommended more lighting and refreshers on resources available at the school.
“I think the campus could honestly be lighted a little better, I think it gets dark,” ECU student Sophia Band said.
“I do think that we have a bunch of great programs out here, maybe just getting more awareness for the programs like Safe Walk,” said Colbie Bond, another ECU student.
