STOP Program: Students On Patrol
STOP (Students on Patrol) was created in August 1990, by the Illinois State University Police Department, the former Office of Student Life, and the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences. Unfortunately STOP ceased to continue after 2001. However, during the time it existed, STOP was a valuable resource for Illinois State University. STOP members detected numerous criminal actions which resulted in criminal prosecution, as well as other safety and security problems on the campus. There is no accurate method for determining the effectiveness of the visible deterrence STOP had on crime during the hundreds of hours of logged patrol time.
STOP was not only valuable to the University as a whole, but was also beneficial to its numerous members over the years. Since its beginnings, STOP members donated their time and effort to make the campus safer for everyone. STOP provided its members with valuable life experience. Many former STOP members continued on to become police officers for municipal, state, and federal agencies. Others used their time in STOP as real world volunteer experience on resumes, increasing their marketability in a competitive job field.
With the increased interest in safety, and with a commitment by student leaders, there is now a renewed effort to bring STOP back to the Illinois State University campus. Once again, STOP will be the “eyes and ears” of campus, dedicated to protecting life and property.