GUEST COLUMN: "An Island in a Sea of Terror"

Although increased patrols and security stations will provide an increased sense of security, Rodin's measures would incur an enhanced financial burden for the University with little positive results. The costs associated with this project would be tremendous. In addition to the initial costs of construction, equipment procurements and personnel training, the University would have permanent additional staff and maintenance costs. These costs would provide only an appearance rather than a real enhancement of security. Rather than pursuing personnel increases with respect to the police force and security guards, the University should follow alternative measures that would provide more protection at a lower cost. Even Rodin stated her plan's greatest shortcoming, "Yet no one can be always protected by others?" Instead the University should procure an information network comprised of video cameras and a remote monitoring station as a vantage point to decrease crime on campus. No one should expect a police officer on every corner 24 hours a day to protect the general population. Rather, through the use of prepositioned video cameras, security personnel would be able to monitor the campus and surrounding area and then respond when applicable. This plan does not call for the end of police patrols of any sort, rather to provide a cost-effective measure that would give affordable security benefits. These cameras would provide numerous advantages over the traditional method of increasing patrols. First, they would provide a constant view of the area under surveillance. This would be an incredible deterrent to criminal actions. If criminals knew that they would be watched with a nearby police presence, they would be further dissuaded from committing a crime. Second, the cameras would dramatically decrease the response time to the crime scene. Dispatchers would instantly know the current situation with regards to both the victim and the assailant. The police would have a positive identification on the suspect, pinpoint his exact location and know the exact nature of the crime. Currently, the police department must wait for either the victim or a witness to contact the station, report the crime, then the dispatcher must assess the importance of the call and if it is real or not. Finally, the dispatcher must send the appropriate level of police resources to apprehend the suspect. As one can obviously see, the use of prepositioned video cameras would greatly reduce the response time of the police. The response time and the level of police are directly linked to the chances of successfully capturing the suspect. In addition, the prosecution of said suspect would be greatly enhanced as the security personnel would be able to record the incident for later use. By being able to preempt the need for a citizen to call the police, one can see how video cameras could provide an effective alternative to blue light telephones. These cameras would be both more efficient, reliable and accurate in their description of the crime scene. The use of prepositioned video cameras would complement the role of the police officers in a nonintrusionary manner. These cameras would view only the public sphere to the same extent as police patrols currently do. Some may conjure fears associated with an Orwellian Big Brother, yet these claims would be unfounded. These cameras would not be monitored by the police department per se, nor would they be recording all of the time. Rather, security personnel would run the remote operations center which would complement the current police emergency line. When viewing a criminal action, they would have the option of recording the incident and would appropriate the proper police presence. Thus, the police would be properly directed without having the means to violate the general privacy of the populace. Also, both the suspects and the police officers would be aided by such a system. In addition to recording the evidence, these tapes would show if officers are acting properly or not. For example, during the incident in which a student accused an officer of physically knocking him off of his bicycle to enforce the bicycle ban, the video would have been extremely helpful. The tape would clearly show if the officer was guilty or not. The Rodin plan also ignores the need to improve the police department through qualitative not quantitative measures. The University should strive to improve the effectiveness of each police officer. One method would be to update the tactics employed by the police department. Currently, the average police officer has the same options available as Wyatt Earp in the Old West. Armed with only a nightstick and a gun, the police are severely limited. They can either talk to the suspect or use force as seen through the stick or the gun. The police department should pursue instead additional options in the realm of less-than-lethal weapons. These weapons provide officers with enhanced flexibility when faced in a multitude of confrontations. One example would be that of Oleoresin Capsicum, better known as Pepper Spray. Pepper Spray is comprised of a natural substance that allows officers to effectively counter dangerous individuals without the threat of police danger or legal liability to the suspect. Without Pepper Spray, the police officer might be pushed into a compromised situation which might require deadly force that could have been otherwise avoided. Furthermore, The Department of Public Safety should employ techniques to decrease the amount of office work for the arresting officer. After an arrest, an officer could spend up to four hours away for his patrol stuck behind a typewriter. Therefore, an officer's shift could be easily comprised of administrative duties instead of working where he is needed, on the street. Through computer system already in place in police departments in areas such as New Mexico, the administrative time spent by officers have been reduced by over 60 percent. This freeing of time would provide an inexpensive way to increase the level of security without incurring expensive personnel costs. In her report entitled, "Increasing Our Collective Security" Judith Rodin takes an important first step in recognizing the security needs of the Greater University community. However, instead of providing a true level of enhanced security, she merely advocates a costly yet marginally effective program. Through the assistance of technology Public Safety could find an affordable means to support its staff and truly enhance campus security.

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