FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2008
Contact: Joshua Hollis
(662) 329-7119

‘Refuse To Be A Victim’ program held at MUW

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Mississippi University for Women Police Department recently held “Refuse To Be A Victim,” a course on improving personal safety sponsored by the National Rifle Association. Former MUW Police Chief Calvin Sellers serves as the regional coordinator for the NRA, allowing the course to be taught on campus. All participants in the course were working to become instructors of the program.

Peggy A. Wilken, a clinical assistant professor from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, said the course was perfect for the personal safety course she’ll be teaching in the fall. “[The course] runs the gamet,” she said, adding that participants learned about gun and travel safety, as well as safety tips for children and senior citizens.

Capt. Khallid Greene, executive director of the Inner-City Emergency Response Team in Houston, Texas, said, “I learned a lot of things. [The program] brought it home and made it real.

“To put it on a practical level [like this] is very important,” he said, adding that he enjoyed the open discussion.

Greene planned on taking the course back to Houston and teaching it there, making the people in his community alert and showing them how to make things safe.

Dwight Smith, corporal in the MUW Police Department, taught a class on physical security. “The goal [this program] is trying to instill in people is to be alert and be aware of their environment and to make sure they avoid being a victim.”

Others in attendance included interim Police Chief Lamar Peacock, Cpl. Juvante Burks, and Sara Beth Honsinger, a former MUW police officer and recent MUW graduate, who will be teaching the course in Byram.

Created in 1993, “Refuse To Be A Victim” is a three to four hour crime prevention seminar that presents a variety of information to help individuals take a proactive role in personal safety.

For more information about the “Refuse To Be A Victim” program, visit www.nrahq.org/rtbav.