Hundreds Attend Plano Police Crime Safety Meeting
COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - The biggest crime safety meeting ever held in Plano happened Wednesday night. The size of the crowd showed just how much the disappearance of Christina Morris has affected those who live and work in the area.
The image of a young woman who recently vanished compelled Gail Trostel to bring her daughter Amanda to the meeting. "I'd like to know that she knows how to take care of herself," she said.
Christina Morris, 23, was reported missing after visiting friends at an apartment in Plano's Shops at Legacy. She was last seen on August 30, walking with a friend to a nearby parking garage.
"In light of what has happened to Christina Morris, a lot of people are interested in how to get themselves safer," explained Plano police Officer Christopher Bianez.
The opportunity was such that Jennifer Cloutier brought her entire class of University of North Texas dance students. She told CBS 11 News, "I want to make sure I'm not only teaching them dance but also some life lessons as well."
Nearly 300 people, mostly women, packed a Plano hotel for a lesson on personal safety from Plano police.
The meeting was held only a few feet from where Morris three weeks ago.
Plano resident Kathy Tinkler said the woman's disappearance has caused a heightened sense of awareness among women. "It does shake you up and make you think, 'we need to think what's going on around us.'"
During the crime safety meeting officers offered tips on how to avoid becoming a crime victim by running away, even from someone with a gun.
Police insist the meeting doesn't mean they believe Morris was kidnapped. Still, officers warned that college-age women like Morris are the most likely victims of violent crime.
The information hit home with many young women at the meeting. UNT freshman Marleyna Muckensturm said, "You've got to really be guarded and watch who you're talking to and what's around you.
In addition to violent crime in general, police told the crowd that one in six women will be victims of a sexual assault.
While the class may have offered some good personal protection tips, it did little to reassure those who just don't feel safe.
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