This month the EWU police team has gone beyond their usual tasks for protecting students. While still going about their daily duties, they also started distributing homemade face masks for the campus community. 

According to Chief of Police Tim Walters, it all began with Sargeant Lorraine Hill, who has a daughter in the military medical field. 

“We [first responders] wear N-95 masks when responding to medical calls or interacting with ill people,” Walters said. 

Hill decided to begin making masks for her daughter and her daughter’s coworkers. Due to COVID-19, there has been a shortage of masks for medical professionals.

Hill knew how to sew, and found simple outlines for mask-making. 

The EWU police team was inspired and started to build masks for their own routine calls. They planned to wear these masks when interacting with the general public in order to stay safe and promote good social habits. 

As the team made more masks, they gave some to their family members as well. Wearing one of these masks will not only help whoever is wearing it stay safe, but also help medical workers by not draining their resources. The police team has been using EWU colors and logos to spread school spirit as well. 

From there, they began making masks for the campus community and distributing them. In two weeks, the EWU police have made and distributed approximately 200 masks.