By Rachel Kimbrough
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
And I’m not trying to scare anyone, but kindly remember that on at least two occasions terrorist group Al Qaeda was caught plotting a rail attack within the States to take place on or around the tenth-year anniversary of that 9/11 attack, according to British cooperative news agency Reuters.
In light of those facts, I’d like to remind everyone of what safety resources are available to you through Campus Police.
For one thing, you can sign up for text alerts from the police department if, say, an emergency situation were to occur on campus. Visit the police department’s webpage at http://www.jccc.edu/administration/police/ to sign up for text alerts.
There are campus phones in many hallways throughout campus. Dial 4111 from any of those phones to connect to the police dispatcher. That’s the extension if you’re calling from your cell phone, too—dial (913) 469-8500, ext. 4111 to reach the dispatcher from an external phone.
If it’s an immediate threat, dial 911 from whatever phone you’re close to.
Campus police officer Scott Wargin said there are also “red phones” throughout campus that automatically dial the police dispatcher’s extension when someone picks up the receiver.
Wargin said the campus features a PA system inside and outside to alert those on campus if an emergency situation were to arise. He said the police department can also use the digital monitor displays on every floor of every main building on campus to get the word out, as well as send alerts to both employee and student email accounts.
Now I know this could look like paranoid babbling, but everyone needs to at least be aware of safety procedures, wherever you are. Apathy is especially prevalent among our student population. This is one area in which it is not only unacceptable to be apathetic—it’s outright dangerous.
Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.