ASU and Tempe police aren't planning to take as many precautions as some may expect for the anniversary of Sept. 11.
Lt. John Sutton of the ASU police department said there will only be a slight increase in security on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Department officials who are usually in plain clothes, such as detectives and other non-patrol officers, will work in uniform on Wednesday in order to make them available in case any type of emergency occurs.
"We like to think we are doing our best to have people feel secure all of the time, not just on Sept. 11," he said. "But this anniversary means many things to a lot of different people."
ASU police officers have been trained this past year on how to use gas masks and how to react in the case of a chemical attack.
Public Relations Sgt. Dan Masters said Tempe police would not be increasing security for Wednesday.
"There are no specific threats and no information that would cause us to have additional security," he said. "I think there will be a heightened awareness on that day, since we lost so many fellow officers."
Sutton also said many people are thinking that there could be another terror attack, but there are just as many minorities anticipating backlash against their own communities.
"We are, of course, hoping nothing like that happens, but we have to be ready in case something does," he said, referring to the violent acts committed against people with dark skin, primarily those with Middle Eastern origins, in the months following the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.
Program coordinator for the Intergroup Relations Center, Kathleen Wong, said her organization is trying to increase awareness among minority students because of the approaching anniversary.
The Intergroup Relations Center is located in the Student Services Building. Wong said the center will provide information on how to help minority groups feel safe during the anniversary.
"We are hoping that there won't be any backlash against certain groups," Wong said. "But in light of other communities and universities anticipating backlash, we have been working with ASU police and asking them to increase patrol where international and U.S.-born minority students live. We just want them to be more alert in those residential areas."
Wong also said the center has been circulating flyers to students on how to report hate crime incidents and defines what could be considered a hate crime to those who might be unsure.
"From the students I have talked to, there is some fear that there will be some kind of backlash this week," she said. "We aren't trying to panic everyone, but we know that it is on people's minds, and we are making sure all the different units on campus are doing what they can to prevent it from happening."
Reach the reporter at christina.viloria@asu.edu.