FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Taviyanna Habib and Claire Simmons are basketball players for the Indian River State College Lady Pioneers, so the Indian River State College campus is truly a second home for them.
“We literally spend our days and nights here,” Habib said.
They put their faith in their coaching staff, and on campus security, to keep them safe.
“I’ve been here for two years and I haven’t witnessed anything,” Habib said.
Students WPTV spoke with Tuesday said they generally feel safe on campus.
“Now that I work here, I tend to look around more often and make sure it’s a safe environment for everyone,” said Emily Villegas, a freshman from Port St. Lucie.
With 52 buildings on 362 acres, there are a lot of areas to protect.
In the following statement, Indian River State College President Dr. Timothy Moore talked about how safety on campus is paramount.
“Dedicated armed security officers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across our five campuses in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. Our Public Safety Team fully cooperates with local law enforcement agencies, regularly sharing information and developing action plans.”
The feel is a little different at Indian River State College because there are very few dorms and most students don’t live on campus, so students don’t spend the night here. But there are sometimes night classes as well as night time activities.
“I make sure personally I always walk with somebody, whether it's late at night or early in the morning,” Simmons said.
Indian River State College is at the forefront of campus safety, no matter what the grade.
Rod Glover helped bring the National Association of School Resource Officers to Fort Pierce to use Indian River State College as its permanent training site beginning this summer.
The plan is to also bring added training to campus officers.
“We have to always be changing for our threats," Glover said. "We want to train for the next threat, not the last threat.”
And a security presence is welcome to students.
“They’re always watching out for us, so we’re good,” Habib said.
