The Towson University Police Department wishes TU students, faculty and staff a fun and safe Halloween. Halloween is a great time to dress up, go trick-or-treating and attend parties. But please follow these basic safety tips to ensure an enjoyable Halloween:
- Trust your instincts. If you feel spooked at any point during Halloween weekend, go with your gut. If you see something suspicious, contact the police.
- Avoid being alone or isolated with a stranger you don’t know well. Let a trusted friend know where you are and who you are with at all times. Know your surroundings. Always carry emergency cash and store the phone numbers of local cab companies in your phone.
- When you are out with your friends, arrive together, check in with each other throughout the night, and leave together. Form a buddy system so that no one wanders off alone.
- Don’t accept alcohol from people you don’t know or trust and never leave your alcohol unattended. If you lose sight of your drink get a new one.
Parents with Children:
- Ideally, an adult should accompany young children on Halloween. If your children go out on their own, be sure they wear a watch and carry a flashlight and cell phone. They should know when to be home and where to reach you in case of emergency.
- Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well, masks are big enough to see clearly and capes are short enough to prevent tripping or entanglement.
- Although tampering is rare, tell children to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything. Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspicious.
- If trick-or-treating with a group of friends, your children should be aware of strangers. They should never enter a strangers home, no matter how nice the people seem. They should use the sidewalk and not cross lawns because you never know who or what may be lurking in a bush.
For more information on general campus safety, go to http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/facilities/police/campussafety/.
