For Immediate Release
WHAT MIGHT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR LAKEN RILEY?
Local Nonprofit SafeD Athens Promotes Additional Safety Measures in Wake of Alleged Murder

ATHENS – March 1, 2024 – SafeD Athens, a nonprofit whose mission is to enhance the safety and security infrastructure of the University of Georgia (UGA) and surrounding community, is proposing additional safety measures after the alleged murder of Laken Riley. They are asking the community to support its mission through its petition at https://change.org/safedathens/.

Not all crime can be prevented, but layered levels of deterrence can make a significant difference. SafeD Athens fully supports UGA’s recently announced $7.3 million of additional safety measures - it is a move in the right direction, but more deterrence measures the group has been promoting for several years, as outlined in its petition, are necessary. These measures include:

• -  An independent safety/security risk assessment to determine gaps in security on UGA properties with emphasis on deterrence

• -  Fully leveraging the widely-deployed concept of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which uses lighting, landscape maintenance, and the design of public spaces and buildings to deter criminals

• -  Partnership with ACCPD to allow all UGA property cameras to be monitored in real-time through the new ACCPD crime center (RTCC) for strategic active monitoring on UGA properties

• -  A safety ambassador program, used in over 140 municipalities and universities, to provide walking safety escorts and a visible security presence in more dimly lit, less travelled areas, and outreach ambassadors to engage homeless individuals on or near UGA properties all within a safe zone

• -  Additional safe ride program to include a free on-call, all night swift safe ride shuttling option on-campus to all buildings, and to/from large off-campus housing complexes and parking locations

• -  Implementing a Safe Zone, which includes extending UGA’s police patrols beyond the immediate borders of the campus and stiffer penalties for certain crimes

  SafeD Athens Inc., a 501(c)(3), has over 7,000 members consisting of students, parents, faculty, staff, and concerned community members working to enhance safety and security infrastructure on the University of Georgia Athens campus and in the Athens broader community. Together with UGA Parents for Safety and Security, a separate parent Facebook working group, SafeD Athens has been advocating for solutions since 2021. This has resulted in UGA adding $8.5 million towards safety and security measures prior to the death of Laken Riley. SafeD Athens’ website emphasizes important

research necessary to propose their solutions, the stories of student lives lost unnecessarily told by courageous parents, along with numerous other resources.

“Trauma from crime changes the trajectory of many students’ paths far too often. We are their voices.” says Lynn Gainous, co-founder SafeD Athens Inc. “Too much still needs to be done. Ask yourself, what would have helped Laken?”

SafeD Athens calls on the entire Athens and UGA community to take part in its mission. It is an opportunity for anyone who shares the same safety and security goals to join and contribute their talents.

To learn more about SafeD Athens and how you can help get involved visit SafeDAthens.org, follow on Twitter and Instagram, and join the Facebook Group.

About SafeD Athens

SafeD Athens Inc is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to enhancing safety and security infrastructure for the campus and city of Athens communities by working with law enforcement, city government, state entities, and the University of Georgia, Athens campus. Together with its separate parent working group, we are nearly 5,000 parents, students, and community members working proactively to bring safety and security programs that will uniquely serve our students and the entire community of Athens. Having to react to horrific events is not an acceptable answer; proactive avoidance is key. We are not directly affiliated with the University of Georgia or Athens-Clarke County.

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