Police Meet-and-Greets to be Held March 24, 26, 27

Join the Duke Police Department this month to discuss crime prevention over cookies.

Tips n' Treats, the department's meet-and-greet with students and staff, is back this semester and visiting East Union, The Food Factory and the Bryan Center. Officers will be available to answer questions and distribute safety information cards, which students can keep in notebooks and wallets, and giveaways such as highlighters and bike headlights.

Here are the upcoming events:

• March 24: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., East Union

• March 26: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., The Food Factory

• March 27: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Bryan Center near the Plaza entrance

Crime prevention officer Eric Hester said Duke Police has held Tips n' Treats for about five years. As students start preparing for exams, he said, one of the department's safety messages for students is to not leave electronics and bags unattended.

"It might be ancient," Hester said of certain laptop models, "but it has all your research and lectures in there."

Officers also will share information about Duke Police's engraving services, in which officers can engrave a driver's license number onto electronics so they can be easily tracked if stolen. They have engraved laptops, cameras, bicycles, smartphones and iPads, Hester said. Officers also will talk with students about how they feel about safety around campus and at off-campus housing complexes. 

"I just like connecting with the students and the people here," Hester said. "They have a lot on their plate and it's always just a way for us to give them a friendly reminder of staying safe. If we can prevent one person from becoming a victim of crime, I've really done my job."