Waiting outside building five at CSUN’s housing, George Martir, 17, was approached by CSUN’s matador patrol after curfew and asked if he needed to be escorted.
“No, I’m waiting for my mentor,” Martir said he responded.
Martir, undecided major, said that was the first time he learned about Matador Patrol.
As a way to ensure safety on CSUN’s campus the Department of Public Safety employs students to work as Matador Patrol, which are CSUN students employed by the police department to provice night time personal safety and excort students and faculty, said Christina Villalobos, special assistant to the chief of police.
This free service is available for all who visit the CSUN campus.
“The program was created over 25 years ago by volunteers from fraternities and athletes to provide safety to all on campus,” Villalobos said.
Service for the Matador Patrol is available from dusk to 11 p.m. during the regular school year and they are usually located in the heavily populated areas of the campus like the Oviatt Library and University Student Union (USU), Villalobos said.
“In 2009 the group worked on a direct employment plan to strategically think about where they should be on campus to meet the peoples need,” Villalobos said.
Other ways to contact the Matador Patrol is by calling (818) 677-5042/5048 to request an escort. The dispatcher will send an escort to the students’ destination on campus or housing. Villalobos added that students have increased the use of the Matador Patrol.
“ In 2009, 12,000 request were made for Matador Patrol, 7,000 more than 2008,” Villalobos said.
All students are welcomed to become a Matador Patrol and anyone hired to patrol will take part in a one-day training session of 9 hours, Villalobos said
“The policy procedures will be addressed as well as a CPR training class with additional pepper spray and fire extinguisher training,” Villalobos said.
While working, employees of the Matador Patrol will have uniforms to help identify them.
“The uniforms are very recognizable, they changed since 2003,” Villalobos said. “Now it’s black pants and a red polo with Matador Patrol written on it.”
Matador patrollers are also equipped with a can of pepper spray, a flashlight and police radio.
Villalobos said that working on campus is a great opportunity and “those who work on campus are still able to balance their school work.”
Lavelle Roberts, 23, who works in the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP) said he has never used the Matador Patrol services but considers it good for students.
“Students take the Matador Patrol for granted, I feel students should utlize any service that is offered to them,” Roberts said
LeAndre Walker, 18, said she too hasn’t used the services of Matador Patrol she finds no need for it.
“I wouldn’t want anybody escorting me, I feel safe by myself,” Walker said.
Roberts added students need to take advantage of the services permitted by the school.
“Nobody needs to walk alone at night on campus,” Walker said.
