 |
Froggie
Five-O provides safety, Danno
By
Leslie Harrison
Skiff Staff
The Froggie Five-0 title originated from a joke between
a former TCU police officer and a buddy of his in 1996
as they were discussing the newly-implemented escort service
provided to TCU female students.
They decided to find a catchy name for it and chose Froggie
Five-0, from the old television show, Hawaii Five-0. The
purpose of offering this service for the women on campus
is no joke.
“The reason behind offering a security service for
females was to ensure safety and prevent sexual assaults,”
said TCU’s Crime Prevention Officer, Pamela Christian.
TCU’s escort service has offered female students
a safe alternative to walking around campus. Although
the service is offered to females from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.,
Christian wants it to be known that it “is not a
taxi service.” Christian said the student escorts
providing the service are “extra eyes and ears for
the TCU police to ensure the safety of our students.”
Men are able to use the service but Christian expects
them to use it only for emergencies.
“I used it a lot as a freshman,” said senior
communication major Staci McGrath. “It was nice to
know that someone was there to watch over you.”
TCU students, male or female, work the escorting shifts
and are trained to ensure proper safety measurements in
case of an incident. Christian said the main qualification
for becoming a Froggie Five-0 escort is a valid Texas
driver’s license and an extensive interview with
Christian.
Escorts for Froggie Five-0 wear a T-shirt and a ball cap
clearly marked with Froggie Five-0 for students’
protection.
The accident rate for Froggie escorts is about one accident
every other year, so females should take comfort, Christian
said.
The number of rapes and attacks since Froggie Five-0 escort
service has been in effect is unknown. Rape is the No.
1 unreported crime, so there are no definite statistics.
The TCU Police Department averages around 15 to 200 calls
per shift. Christian said Sunday nights are the busiest
due to students returning to campus from being away for
the weekend.
Along with offering an escort service, the TCU Police
Department offers a rape aggression defense system (R.A.D.)
for women at TCU. It is a system for learning self-defense
tactics and techniques. College women are taught sexual
assault prevention techniques, avoidance and risk reduction
in the 12-hour class. It also offers an optional “dynamic
simulation” exercise during which you get to apply
your techniques with a trained aggressor, according to
the TCU Web site. These classes are held on campus and
are free for students and staff.
TCU isn’t the only campus taking steps to fight rape.
The University of North Texas, Texas Wesleyan and Texas
Women’s University are among the local colleges taking
an active role in protecting their students with escort
services like Froggie Five-0.
The risk of rape is four times greater for women between
the ages of 16 to 24, according to the Department of Justice
Statistics on college rape. Also, an estimated 13 percent
of college women had been stalked since the beginning
of the school year, while a vast majority of the women
were attacked after 6 p.m. in living quarters, according
to the study.
Froggie Five-0 is a funny name a lot of students around
campus laugh about. But the effects of offering the escort
service, along with self-defense classes, are no laughing
matter for a number of TCU women.
Sexual assault on campus are a serious yet preventable
problem that the police department hopes to prevent. Female
students are urged to use any of the emergency phones
located on campus if they feel unsafe for any reason.
Froggie Five-0 can be reached by dialing from one of the
various campus phones or by dialing TCU police at 257-7777. |
|
|
|
