TUPD puts on Hide and Shriek

Troy students and Troy University Police Department officers faced off in a game of hide and seek last Thursday to make spreading safety protocol fun. 

In the event, Hide and Shriek, students ran around campus and hid from TUPD officers tasked with finding and catching them. The students who were able to evade the officers won a free Moe’s Southwest Grill voucher. 

“I got found really fast because, like, I spent too much time trying to help other people find their spots,” said Jeremy Robinson, a freshman nursing major. “Then, like, I got to my spot, and they found me 20 seconds later.” 

In between rounds, TUPD officers took a few moments to talk to the students about Run, Hide, Fight: the university’s safety protocol in case of an active shooter situation. While some students, like Robinson, may want to help others get to safety, the officers stressed the importance of knowing what to do to protect yourself.  

Troy University’s Student Government Association’s Safety and Infrastructure committee partnered with TUPD to get the Run, Hide, Fight message across for the event. 

“We wanted to kind of show them about, you know, getting away from a situation,” said Ariel Pratt, a junior nutrition major from Nassau, Bahamas. “You run from wherever the danger is and you find some place to hide, and that's what we wanted to showcase with this event; obviously we can’t really do the fighting part because it’s supposed to be fun.” 

This event, and the rest of Safety Week, had the priority of helping students understand Troy’s safety protocol, but there’s also the added benefit of creating stronger bonds between the students and the TUPD officers. 

“It’s a way for students to see us as people, not just police,” said TUPD Sargeant Rachel Farmer. “To build relationships with students for them to feel they can trust us.” 

Holding and attending events like Hide and Shriek may sometimes carry a big workload for TUPD, but when it comes to student trust and safety, it’s worth the effort. 

“It takes a lot to plan to be sure every event is run smoothly, but it’s all worth it,” Farmer said. “We are happy with any event that students come out and participate in to get to know TUPD Officers.”