Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, sponsored by UWA Police Department, provides a safe option for on-campus transportation during from 6 p.m. until midnight, Sunday through Thursday.
The University of West Alabama Police Department has brought back a successful campus transportation program that’s designed with both convenience and safety in mind.
This fall, the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, or SNAP, was relaunched to provide free on-campus transportation for students, faculty and staff between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight in a specially marked golf cart driven by two student leaders. The drivers are trained and supervised by the UWA Police Department.
The service, which operated for two semesters prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, will run Sunday nights through Thursday nights during the fall and spring semesters.
“We wanted to relaunch this program because we know that it has been effective,” said UWA Police Cpl. Arthur Bell.
The physical size of UWA’s campus–600 acres, which extends beyond the heart of its academic buildings and residential or dining facilities to Lake LU and its surrounding walking trails and green spaces–is a driving force behind the program, Bell said.
High output lighting, emergency callboxes, and an expansive network of sidewalks make campus very walkable, and supporting safety over longer distances, particularly at night, is paramount for UWA Police. UWA has been recognized as the safest campus in Alabama.
SNAP drivers will provide nighttime transportation to the Student Union Building, and residents of Hoover Apartments on the campus’ northwestern edge could get round-trip rides to the Young Hall Cafeteria. Transportation is available to and from any campus location.
Students who want a ride in the SNAP cart should call (205) 652-3937 and provide their name, location and destination. The dispatcher will contact the drivers.
Students hired as SNAP drivers will receive training from UWA Police and an hourly wage. The drivers serve as civilian eyes on campus during early evening hours, Bell said.
“SNAP drivers are trained to call dispatch if they see something suspicious or out of place. It is kind of like they are transporting and patrolling at the same time.”
The new SNAP cart can accommodate up to six people – the two-person driving team, and four students. It is branded with SNAP contact information and nighttime visibility features.