At least 700 students passed through a spectacle of motorcycles, mountain bikes and German Shepherds during the LSU Police Department’s Public Safety Day demonstration Wednesday.
LSUPD exhibited its K-9 unit, Special Response Team, Mountain Bike Patrol and its motorcycle Traffic Division on Tower Drive next to the Student Union. The event offered free hamburgers for the first 500 students who arrived. Students could also register their bicycles with the City of Baton Rouge.
“This is a chance for students to see who we are and for our officers to meet the public they serve,” said LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde.
Sometimes when people interact with LSUPD officers, the conversation tends to have a negative connotation no matter whether the person is a suspect or victim, Lalonde said.
“We want to build a partnership with students and show them it’s not all negative,” he said.
At the far end of the exhibit, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office set up a station providing information for students who are involved in a criminal investigation to have police walk them through the legal system.
The District Attorney’s office also brought impairment goggles that disturb one’s equilibrium — similar to the way alcohol does — and let students try to walk a straight line while wearing them.
Farther down the exhibition, three of LSUPD’s six motorcycles were displayed.
LSUPD uses them most often to respond to accidents quickly and for escorts, Lalonde said.
Next to the motorcycles, LSUPD’s mobile command post was parked. The RV-like vehicle was fairly barren on the inside, but LSUPD is currently accepting bids from companies to remodel it.
LSUPD’s Special Response Team displayed SWAT body armor, door rams and an FN 303, a non-lethal riot gun powered by compressed air that shoots projectiles filled with paint or pepper spray.
Meggie, LSUPD’s narcotics dog, and Sendy, the department’s explosives dog, were on hand for students to pet.
Meggie helps sniff out drugs, while Sendy is used in weekly bomb sweeps of Tiger Stadium and helped clear buildings during September’s bomb threat.
About 25 officers helped throughout the event, and 15 bikes were registered, Lalonde said.