KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Police Department is offering safety tips to teach students how to stay safe on and off-campus after some safety concerns have been reported.
They recommend people stay in constant communication with friends, letting people they trust know where they are. Police also recommended people travel in groups since there is safety in numbers.
"We encourage you to travel together as a group and arrive together as a group," said Lola Alapo, a public information officer with UTPD.
They also recommended people be unafraid to check in with their friends if they are concerned about their welfare. Finally, they also recommended downloading the LiveSafe app.
The app allows users to reach UTPD via emergency call or text and report suspicious activity. People can also use it to invite friends and family to virtually accompany them if they are walking home from class.
Society 865, an off-campus apartment complex near the University of Tenessee, released a safety notice on Wednesday reminding people to lock their doors and cars and to leave valuables out of sight. The safety tips also come after a student was reported abducted from a Fort Sanders party Saturday night.
A 28-year-old man drove a 19-year-old University of Tennessee student more than 20 miles to Grainger County after picking her up near a house party in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, according to the Knoxville Police Department.
The incident led university officials to send an alert to students notifying them of a report of an abduction.
Knoxville Police have not charged the man with a crime, but the investigation is still ongoing. The report said that he was not supposed to be on UT property following a similar incident that happened in 2018.
