The FIU Police Department is here to keep you safe

Rina Factor/ Contributing Writer

The University police department offers a variety of services to promote safety.

Some of their services include the FIUGuardian app, “Travel Plan” forms, the Rape Aggression Defense Program and the Self-Defense Awareness & Familiarization Exchange.

In the app FIUGuardian, powered by Rave Guardian, your guardians are trusted family members and friends.

You can use the app to set a safety timer that will alert your designated guardian if the timer expires and you do not deactivate it.

It includes personal information which will be available to law enforcement in the event of an emergency. It also features a panic button which alerts authorities of your GPS location as well.

This is a great service for personal and on campus safety.

Travel Plan is a service in which the individual traveling sends a Travel Plan Form with details of their trip to their destination and to the University. If the traveler does not arrive at their destination as planned, the police will be notified immediately and a search will begin.

The Rape Aggression Defense Program teaches women self-defense techniques. Techniques are approachable to real-world situations and include “awareness techniques, risk reduction, and avoidance strategies,” according to the FIUPD website.

Course participants also test the skills they learn in a simulated attack.

Another self-defense program the department offers is the Self-Defense Awareness & Familiarization Exchange. The class is instructed by University officers certified by the National Self-Defense Institute. The class includes a presentation and an introduction to self-defense techniques.

These services are invaluable to students.

The FIUGuardian app and the S.A.F.E program are valuable tools to people who want to increase their safety.

Walking around campus or anywhere alone can dangerous and the app can help keep you safe.

If you are traveling, especially alone, you should fill out a “Travel Plan” form. In a foreign country, it is much more difficult to investigate a disappearance. This form could be the difference between life and death because the police will be alerted immediately if you are missing.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

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