Campus News - Spartan Daily

May 02, 2005

Should UPD drive on campus? YES
Police cruisers are necessary for campus safety.
By Aimee Threet
Daily Staff Writer
May 02, 2005

While there are many ways for the University Police Department to respond to an emergency, the police cruiser is the most efficient and safest.

The campus police can appear at the scene of an accident in a two-mile radius within five minutes of being called because a car is faster than bicycle, foot or even horse. And due to the nature of their jobs, campus police need to be too able to respond quickly to problematic situations.

The police cruisers hold many instruments and other equipment that are vital to the campus police, such as the two-way radio and the first aid kit. In many cases, the campus police are the first on the scene and can provide basic medical assistance to the victim until the paramedics arrive. Those first minutes after an accident can mean life or death in some situations and a faster recovery in others.

Another aspect is the safety of the police cruiser. For example, if there were an individual waving a gun on campus, officers could safely respond to the situation by staying in their cruisers and/or using the cruisers as shields, until the situation is diffused. The cruiser provides safety, not only for the campus police, but also for innocent bystanders who may be caught in the situation. The same could be said for any dangerous situation that may arise on campus.

If the campus police are not allowed to have their cruisers on campus, would-be criminals will know they have a greater chance in getting away with their crimes.

Also, for individuals who are arrested, it is safer to transport the suspect to the necessary location in the police cruiser rather than walking the suspect across campus.

There is also a visual reason for having police cruisers on campus. While students may not express it, some feel secure in seeing the cruisers on and around the campus. This reason alone could be worth allowing them on campus.

Lastly, the campus police are not only responsible for the San Jose State University campus, but for the area surrounding the campus. At times, going through campus in their cruisers is faster than driving on the streets.

The campus police are there to protect the students - it simply cannot be done without them or the police cruisers.

The police cruiser is not only important to the campus police, it is an extension of them. The officers would not be able to perform their job to the best of their ability without the cruisers. Therefore, they should be allowed to drive their police cruisers on campus and anywhere else that is needed.

Aimee Threet is a Spartan Daily staff writer.

Should UPD drive on campus? NO
Patrol cars do nothing to increase university's safety.
By Ashley Johnson
Daily Staff Writer
May 02, 2005

It's not unusual to see the San Jose State University Police Department officers in their patrol cars leisurely driving down the walkways.

As students walk from one class to another they are forced to step to the side to let the cars pass, which take up nearly the entire walkway.

UPD should not be allowed to drive its patrol cars on campus because it's a danger to pedestrians walking on campus and the crime rate on campus does not facilitate the need for patrol cars.

The UPD Web site has crime statistics for 2001 - 03. In 2003, there were 20 reports of burglary, five reports of motor vehicle theft and 39 arrests for drug violations. Essentially, the types of offenses reported do not require patrol cars to race to the scene. It is understandable that UPD and its officers are trying to maintain a level of security on campus and the use of patrol cars enhances that image by patrolling the campus, but the San Jose Police Department doesn't drive on sidewalks.

The patrol cars drive around campus warning people who violate the rules.

One instance was when a young man was riding his skateboard and an officer stopped his patrol car to reprimand the violator.

It is unnecessary for officers to drive five miles per hour on campus in the comfort of their air-conditioned vehicles just to catch people violating campus rules.

Additionally, when only one patrol car is needed to transport someone posing a threat to campus security, UPD goes overboard.

Three patrol cars were present after the confrontation between a student and Mark Trout, the street preacher who stands near the Event Center. UPD detained him in only one of the patrol cars until his release 20 minutes later.

UPD has officers who patrol the campus on foot, which is more effective than driving to the scene of a crime or driving to the location where someone is posing a threat.

Obviously UPD wants to respond as rapidly and as effectively as possible, but the presence of a patrol car not only alerts suspects to their impending confrontation with UPD - it also doesn't help UPD catch them any faster.

What is UPD going to do, run the suspects down?

Lastly, the UPD patrol cars are too large and are cumbersome on the campus thoroughfares.

The orange service carts have often been criticized because they zip around campus at unsafe speeds.

Nevertheless, they are small and leave enough room so students don't have to move.

But the patrol cars leave about a foot of space on either side, forcing students to move out of the way. Additionally, for students who are disabled, the patrol cars pose an even greater risk because those students may not hear, see or even be able to move out of the way of the patrol car.

The UPD patrol cars should stay where they belong, on the city streets, not on campus grounds.

Ashley Johnson is a Spartan Daily staff writer.