Jogging, walking and biking are three of the many activities Normal residents use the Constitution Trail for. Along the trail there are parks, picnic tables, pavilions, water fountains, family homes, restrooms and benches stretching across 45 miles of Bloomington/Normal.  

Safety on the trail has been a concern the past couple of years. In May of 2016 an Illinois State student walking on the trail was assaulted and beat by a man. Less than a year later in September of 2017, a man was found in a creek alongside the Constitution Trail after he had been drowned. Shortly after that, a man was placed in custody after a robbery on the trail.

In order to ensure safety on the Constitution Trail so incidents like these don’t continue to happen in Normal, Illinois Blue Light Emergency Phones should be installed. The Blue Light Emergency Phones will be a service to people that they can quickly come to in case of an emergency to prevent things like that from happening in the future.

With safety being an ongoing problem and concern, especially on the Constitution Trail, we, a group of students at Heartland Community College, believe emergency phones should be placed along the trail (starting in one area of the trail, Rosa Parks to Uptown Normal). 1.6 miles is the distance from Rosa Park/Commons to Uptown Normal. Among this part of the trail, many college students have apartments and use the trail to walk home, sometimes at night from the bars in Uptown Normal.

Blue light emergency phones would be placed every ½ mile along the trail for the 1.6 mile distance from Rosa Parks to Uptown Normal.
For the people who don’t bring their phone on the trail, the Blue Light Emergency phone will be used in place of a cell phone.
The Blue Light Emergency Phones will stand out on the trail and prevent future crimes from taking place because people will know they’re there and police have the ability to show up in minutes.

We are petitioning Normal Parks and Recreation and the Town of Normal to install Blue Light Emergency Phones every ½ mile of the trail from Rosa Parks to Uptown Normal in order to increase safety and reduce the amount of crime and violent acts taking place on the trail. The blue light on the emergency phones is very visible, ensuring safety for everyone using the trail. The emergency alert will be sent to Normal Parks and Rec, where the Normal Police will respond immediately.

For more information regarding incidents on the Trail: 

http://www.videtteonline.com/news/isu-student-emerges-strong-after-assault-on-constitution-trail/article_e3f2cf90-139b-11e6-9d67-a76ba1609033.html

http://www.videtteonline.com/news/man-found-in-creek-by-constitution-trail-apparently-drowned/article_262a4922-98ef-11e7-a716-f75bb134347c.html

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-in-custody-after-robbery-on-constitution-trail/article_50e98200-6344-5720-bfab-7491299f8a34.html