Those white patrol cars and sport utility vehicles are not all bad news. In fact, the TCC police department offers students protection and support.
Apart from patrolling, accident reports and the occasional parking citation, campus police also issue parking permits and decals, can provide late-evening escorts and even perform vehicle jump-starts.
“ Students should report any suspicious activity around campus as well as damage to their property and/or others as soon as possible,” Frank Buchanan, TCC chief of police, said. “Anyone who leaves the campus and reports theft or damage to city officials would be directed to return to the scene where the incident occurred.”
Students should ensure valuable items in vehicles are secured and vehicles are locked. Even though this is a college campus, there is always the possibility of theft because of opportunity, Buchanan said.
Being aware of one’s surroundings, walking in pairs during the evening hours and remaining vigilant reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime, he added.
“ We recommend that students should hotkey the police number (817-515-8911) in their phones so police can respond to an incident in a timely manner,” he said.
On campus, students can pick up any landline phone and just dial 8911 in case of an emergency.
For medical emergencies, call 911 first, then dial campus police.
To view the annual security report for each campus police department, visit the Web site at www.tccd.edu/neutral/divisiondepart mentpage.asp?pagekey=68.
