The Northwest Missouri State University Police Department recently received a total of $7,000 in state grant awards to support its Safe Ride Home program and student employees.

“The Safe Ride program is a student-run program for students,” University Police Lt. Amanda Cullin, who authored the grant application, said. “It only employs students, and it’s a program for the safety of students.”

The University Police Department received a $5,000 grant award in December and a $2,000 grant award this month, both through the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Northwest Coalition for Roadway Safety. The grant funding will be directed toward supporting Safe Ride’s student employees.

Launched in 2004 as a student initiative, Northwest’s Safe Ride Home program employs about 20 students each semester while its shuttle service to retail locations and late-night taxi transports about 12,000 students annually.

The program has reduced violations for driving while intoxicated by more than 63 percent, and no student fatalities have been recorded since its inception.

For more information about Safe Ride Home, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/police/programs/saferide.htm.