UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State University Police and Public Safety remains operational during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the department is offering public safety programming for students and employees virtually University-wide.
The department will begin hosting four Zoom sessions each week beginning May 4. Two sessions each week will cover Penn State’s Active Attacker Response Program, which follows the Run, Hide, Fight model created by the city of Houston, Texas. The run, hide, fight concept is endorsed at the local, state and federal levels, including by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. Two sessions each week will be open Q&A sessions where police officers will answer public safety questions from Penn State students and employees.
“We are fully committed to continuing our engagement with our community,” said Officer Michelle Beckenbaugh, Community Oriented Policing Unit coordinator. “The Zoom sessions are opportunities for Penn State community members to learn about public safety preparedness and ask any public safety questions while helping us stay connected with the community that we serve and the community that we are a part of.”
Participants should register with a Penn State email address in advance. Space is limited. Register here for the Active Attacker Response Program. Register here for the open public safety Q&A session.
Registration is currently open for sessions between May 4 and May 27. New sessions will be added throughout the summer.
“The importance of public safety does not end while students and most employees are studying and working remotely, therefore it is important for us to reach our community members where they are in order to continue educational opportunities related to public safety,” said Penn State Police Chief Joseph Milek.