Aaron Krabacher

Guest Reporter

The Escort Program is a student-run service designed to prevent crimes on campus. The program employs eight Mesa State students who have been trained by the Grand Junction Police Department. This year, the staff has doubled in size. The GJPD is in charge of the program,  which was previously run by the college.

“We are here to protect the students,” said John Lawson, an Escort Program employee.  “Our main focus is to provide a level of security for the students on campus, whether its escorting them back to the dorms or by providing a level of crime prevention by just walking around. Basically we provide an escort for someone if they are scared.”

While it is sponsored by the police. the escort program is not intended to replace the department.

“If we see a crime go down we are supposed to take down information, provide witnesses, and provide protection for the students if needed,” said Lawson.

On average, Lawson devotes about 14 hours a week to the program.

“The program is devoted to keeping the campus a safe place to be at night,” Lawson said.

Employees of the program sacrifice many nights to ensure safety on campus.  Employees don’t sit and wait for calls. The program gets 10-15 calls a night.

“On an average night, a partner and I will do rounds on campus, keep an eye out for suspicious activity, talk with people, and make sure they know that the escort service is here.  About 95 percent of the time we may not be needed, but that five percent is what matters,” Lawson said.

“The cops have programs we attend that show us how to handle certain situations, we do ride-alongs with them, we visit with them to build a good relationship, and they train us to do exactly what they want us to do.  We also have personal training with employees from previous years.”

When fully trained, an Escort Program employee knows what steps to take when a crime is being committed.

“We are allowed to use self defense if it escalates to that level, and if a student is being hurt we are allowed to intervene.  The staff does not carry any weapons. We are supposed to diffuse a situation, before it gets out of control,” said Lawson.

Alex Shepard uses the service after he gets off work and heard about it from his former supervisor.

“I use it for safety, and it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Shepard said.

Depending on the volume of calls and location it may take a few minutes for the program to respond to a call.

The program encourages MSC students, staff and faculty to use the free service when needed. It operates every night from 6 p.m. – 2 a.m.

The program operates out of the GJPD substation on campus. The Escort Program can be reached by calling 970-260-2683.

akrabach@mesastate.edu