This Wednesday UCF will perform a test of its communication tools that provide critical information to students, staff and faculty members, and the public in the case of an emergency.

During an actual emergency, the UCF website, www.ucf.edu, is the best place to find the latest updates.

The UCF Police Department is going pink for October in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Each day this month, UCFPD will feature a photo of members of the UCF and local communities with the department’s pink cruiser.

Members of the public are invited to take photos with the car and share them on social media using #UCFPDPink. Photos will be shared on UCFPD’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

UCF Victim Services will host Light Up the Night Monday, Oct. 3, to honor the lives of victims of domestic abuse.

Light Up the Night will start in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union at 6 p.m. The event, which is open to the public, is held annually to “break the silence and end the violence” of those who have lost their lives due to intimate partner violence.

Survivors will share their stories to raise awareness, and resources will be shared for those involved in a violent relationship.

UCF Police and university technology teams are investigating multiple reports of credit card fraud possibly originating from locations on campus.

With the information known so far, it appears the fraud is occurring only at vendor locations on campus, meaning from private businesses such as restaurants and retailers. There do not appear to be reports involving university-controlled areas such as registration for classes, financial aid or housing.

Implicit bias was a hot topic during this week’s presidential debate, and it will again be addressed during a town hall forum at UCF Tuesday, Oct. 4.

The Law Enforcement and Bias Town Hall will start at 3 p.m. in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union. It is free and open to the community.

The event will be led by Lorie Fridell, a USF professor with more than 20 years’ experience researching police use of force and violence against police. She’s played a critical role in guiding national efforts to enhance police-community relations and develop best practices.

The UCF Police Department's 2016-2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Guide (Annual Security Report) is now available for public viewing.

The report, published each year by October 1, includes statistics from the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus, in certain off campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the university, and on public property immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

The UCF Police Department reaches out to make you aware of a variety of scams and frauds impacting people around the country, including members of the UCF community.

Law enforcement are seeing an uptick in get-rich-quick schemes; phone and email scams that demand money in exchange for a loved one's safety; the theft of credit card numbers; and other similar fraudulent activity.

UCFPD asks you to take the following steps to protect yourself:

-Use smart judgement. If something sounds too good or too ridiculous to be true, it probably is.

Those on campus Thursday through Sunday should anticipate road closures, garage shut downs, and extra traffic due to several events.

UCF will host the IGNITE gala at the CFE Arena Friday night, UCF vs. Maryland at Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday night, and Meghan Trainor at the CFE Arena Sunday night.

Expect loud noises and campus closures Friday as UCF conducts testing to prepare for a Homecoming fireworks display next month.

Fireworks testing is scheduled to start around 9 a.m. Friday, and those near Garage D and Memory Mall are likely to see or hear the fireworks.

To accommodate the testing, Garage D and a few designated rows of Lot D2 will close at 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8. Vehicles in those areas must be removed by that time, or they will be subject to towing. The garage will remain closed until noon Friday.

With hurricane season underway, UCF’s Office of Emergency Management is closely monitoring the tropics for severe weather with the potential to impact our community.

Tropical Storm Hermine is currently in the gulf and strengthening. Central Florida may experience some severe weather overnight but is not expected to receive any of the storm’s direct impact, according to the National Hurricane Center.