Awareness was the word of the day at the Troy University Campus Safety Fair Thursday.

The safety fair was sponsored by the Troy University Police Department and was designed to make students more aware of the consequences of driving under the influence, domestic violence and other safety concerns.

Ida Martin, Troy University Police safety officer, said the Campus Safety Fair highlighted two programs that will be of great benefit to the university students.

“We are really encouraging our students to get involved in the Campus Crime Watch and Operation ID,” Martin said.

“The mission of the Campus Crime Watch is to organize and equip students to be more aware of their surroundings and to recognize suspicious behavior. The more aware students are the less crime we’ll have on campus and in the areas where students live.”

Martin said the students who become involved in the Campus Crime Watch will receive training that will enable them to be more alert in recognizing suspicious behavior.

“There’s a secret line where these crime watchers can notify police of any suspicious behavior,” Martin said. “We need a large number of students to participate in the Campus Crime Watch, not just on campus but throughout the community.”

Operation ID is a program where student property is recorded and marked with a traceable pen.

“We encourage the students to bring in their computers and any electronic devices, even their books, anything of value. and have the serial numbers recorded and the items marked with a special pen,” Martin said. “When an item is stolen, the chances of it being identified if and when it is recovered are much greater.”

There is no charge for participation in the ID program and well worth the time it takes to have items cataloged.

The Campus Safety Fair also featured information booths manned by the Alabama Department of Public Safety, the Troy and Brundidge Police Departments, Pike County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Corrections, the Emergency Management team, the Pike County game warden and the Troy University Transportation System.

The Alabama Department of Public Safety demonstrated the benefits of using seat belts with its Rollover Simulator.

“We have an adult dummy and a baby dummy and demonstrate what happens when a vehicle rolls,” said Sgt. Steven Jarrett, public information/education unit commander. “Usually the baby flies out first and then the adult. Often one of the bodies is thrown under the vehicle. The demonstration shows what happens in an accident and how the simple clicking of a seatbelt could prevent injuries and loss of life.”

Trooper Kevin Cook said that it only takes a second to click a seatbelt and doing so could make a lifetime of difference.