Badger Safety conference planned

The UW Police Department will hold its second annual Badger Watch Safety Conference on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Memorial Union from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The event is free and open to all members of the university community.

Badger Watch, initiated in the 2002–03 academic year, is a crime prevention program that currently has more than 700 volunteers who collaborate with university police to help make the university a safer place. The volunteers are considered to be the extra eyes and ears of the campus.

The sessions planned include:

• Basic Badger Watch, required for those not currently participating in the program. It focuses on safety and security awareness and what to do in case of an emergency.
• Advanced Badger Watch, a brief review of the basics and information on how to make contact with unwanted persons in your building.
• Campus Violence: This session will address mass casualty shootings such as those at Virginia Tech, how to deal with troubled people and the resources available on campus.
• Emergency Planning and Physical Security
• Occupational Health and Safety Awareness
• CPR: Heartsaver AED Course (limited to the first 54 who sign up)
• The Security Side of UW Police

Becoming a Badger Watch volunteer is easy. The only requirement is to attend the initial training. The benefit is that you become a smarter and safer member of the university community and have the opportunity to attend conferences like the one coming up.

To register for the conference and get more specifics on the breakout sessions, visit http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu and click on the front page link to the event. Use your campus net ID to log in and register. The registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 4.

For questions or concerns, contact Erik Pearce, 265-5223, or e-mail him at empearce@wisc.edu.