Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Shep to head up campus security study
Sometimes I wonder why Gov. Jim Doyle even bothers trying to find solutions in the UW System. Now he is taking a stab at campus security, and he picks a chancellor from a school in the middle of the woods and a police chief from a city in the woods. UW-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard and River Falls Police Chief Roger Leque will lead the study.
The AP had this reported:
The group of 10 to 15 students, parents, law enforcement agents, university officials and mental health experts will look at all options — including whether campus security officers should carry guns, Doyle said.
“I don’t want anything off the table with the task force,” he said.
So does that mean concealed carry is on the table? How about repealing System code that prohibits firearms and other weapons on UW campuses?
Doyle said some campuses have sworn officers who carry guns, while others have the equivalent of security guards. The decision on whether campus security
should carry guns may be a local issue, he said.“It may just be cheaper and safer and better for the university in a smaller community to rely on a police department,” he said.
Of course it is. At UW-Green Bay, our police department is utterly useless. Some question why we have one, and to this date the only conclusion is that we need on is to write speeding tickets, or to intimidate students.
For example, last night as I was meeting someone in campus housing a UWGB Public Safety car flew by Liebl Hall. It stopped in front with the other squad car. Something was going on. Probably drinking, partying, or something similar. That was around 9 p.m. Those cars were still there at 10:30 p.m. What were they doing for that long?
I have always questioned the need for a police department at UWGB. First, we are surrounded by the woods, detached from society. We are surrounded by residential developments on all sides that are patrolled by the Green Bay Police Department. Secondly, we are right down the road (Bay Settlement/Huron Rd.) from a Green Bay Fire Department for emergency response. Our Public Safety department doesn't have EMS or fire squads. So why just police officers?
Secondly, the first thing to go on campuses in the last few budget cycles are police officers. They are too pricey to keep around. When I first started college at UWGB in 2002, one of the first stories I wrote for the campus paper was about the need for the department to cut an officer because it was too expensive. UWGB residents now pay more for housing to have an extra real police officer patrol at night.
I really question what the goal of the UWGB Public Safety is that can't be duplicated by the Green Bay Police Department. Are the speeding tickets really worth that much to keep the department open? Sure, there is the arguement that they know campus better, blah, blah, blah, but I think students would be better served by real police officers by the City of Green Bay. Are people driving that dangerously on East Circle Drive to warrant a cop sitting there?
The clear solution at UWGB is to have security officials--not full fledged police officers. If you want to give them a gun, go for it. UWGB does not need the bureaucratic overhead for a full-fledged police department. It has proved in the past that it is one of the first budgetary cuts. Take a look at the last security report to see for yourself.
Campuses like Madison, Milwaukee do need real police departments. They are in the middle of large cities with real crime--not the fake rapes that happen here because a girl is homesick or mentally ill.
I hope that Chancellor Shepard realizes this. He's a pretty level-headed guy, so maybe he'll see the need for reform.
