A common theme of our editorials thus far this semester has been questioning the priorities of authority: the priorities of our gubernatorial candidates, our state Legislature, our city council, our state representatives, and most of all, our university.
In light of the AZCentral coverage regarding the understaffed state of the ASU Police Department, we are once again brought to ponder the primary concerns of the University.
Despite an ever-growing student body, our campus police force has mostly stagnated. You can have whatever opinion you like on the growth of our school, but there is little debate over the basic logic behind maintaining an appropriate ratio of police officers to students. As explained by AZCentral reporters Anne Ryman and Rob O’Dell in their recent report, while ASU’s ratio of officers to students is 1.1 officers to every 1,000 students, the national average ratio for large, public schools is 1.5 officers to every 1,000 students.
Safety must always have precedence over expansion. If we are to grow so rapidly, we must do so in a responsible manner. As enrollment increases, the administration must always ask, “How does this affect our students?” If our level of protection decreases, then that needs to be taken into consideration and addressed.
Ryman and O’Dell also revealed concerns of ASU Police Department officers themselves.
“Former officers have expressed concern about their safety and the safety of students in a report to the police chief and questioned whether the department had the staffing and training to properly respond to a shooter on campus,” they noted in their report.
This is especially worrisome considering the shipment of M-16s through a military surplus program, which was developed specifically to prepare for worst-case scenarios like school shootings. Increased militarization is certainly no substitute for adequate officer presence.
In efforts to curb this understaffing problem, the services of police aides have been used. However, the extent of their law enforcement jurisdiction is far less than that of police officers. While certainly helpful and appreciated, they are not the equivalent of sworn officers.
Additionally, considering the amount of investigation required of crimes like rape, assault and theft, we could certainly benefit from more than a five-member investigation unit.
Of course, we also want our officers to be safe. Responding to crime without the reassurance and support of a fellow officer can be a frightening and dangerous proposition. A police department can’t function properly if its officers are stressed because they fear for their safety; mistakes are made without the support of a comrade.
For that exact reason, the ASU Police Department may become an unattractive department for officers. Why would the best officers want to apply to a department that lacks support?
The resources necessary for a properly staffed police force could not be so great as to neglect such strong concerns of students, faculty, and officers. We know how much the ASU Police Department cares about student safety. They deserve the staffing to meet their concern.
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