Escort Service provides 3,000 safety whistles

The whistles are distributed to people by escorts on their way to assignments and to students who ride on the service van or car.

"The goal I would like to see is for every woman on campus to have one of the red safety whistles on their key chain," said Brian Melvin, ASUA Escort Service director.

Whistles are useful in drawing attention to a person in danger, said Lt. Brian Seastone of the University of Arizona Police Department.

"A whistle may not be a defensive weapon but it is a form of communicating, which alerts the public that there is a need for help," Seastone said.

Thus, carrying whistles on key chains is a good safety measure, Melvin said.

The escorts are another safety measure. Operating from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, the service provides walking escorts to on-campus locations and free rides to locations within a one-mile radius of the campus.

The service is especially popular around finals time when students stay later on campus studying, said escort James Leineweber.

The service number is usually posted in the seven CCIT open access microsite computer labs which remain open until 11 p.m., said Joe Brabant, the supervisor for the labs.

The whistle campaign was possible this year due to an increase of about $20,000 in money budgeted to the ASUA Escort Service. The increase helped cover the $2,800 cost of the 3,000 whistles and will provide for an increase in the number of paid escorts from 17 to 22.

Melvin will also begin a round of talks at sorority houses advising residents of safety issues and the services his organization offers. Whistles will be distributed to the audience at the end of the talk.

The whistles bear the Associated Students Escort Service number 621-SAFE. Whistle distribution began Wednesday and will continue until all are given out.