2008 Woodie Awards
Security's subpar response to car theft in campus lot
Poor communication with students is cause for concern
Eric Eikmeier '08
Issue date: 11/17/06 Section: Opinion
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Saint Joseph's University has experienced a flurry of security-related events in the past few weeks. Recent incidents have included armed robbery, car theft, burglary, and the shooting of a student and his guest. The role of security at Saint Joseph's University has been brought to the forefront of many students' minds. As a victim of an attempted car theft, serious doubts have been put in my mind regarding the effectiveness of campus security. Furthermore, there exists a significant lack of communication between security and the student population at this university.
Early Saturday morning, Lower Merion Police apprehended a suspect for stealing a vehicle from the Merion Gardens parking lot. The initial incident report filed by the police included two vehicles: the vehicle that was stolen and one other vehicle that was damaged. Both of these vehicles were Jeeps. I drive a Jeep and park in the Merion Gardens lot. Had I known of the events that transpired that night, I might have been concerned, but I knew nothing of them.
The details of the theft were not made readily available to any of the Merion Gardens residents. Security neglected to make information regarding a crime in our apartment complex available to the affected community. When two students were shot over the same weekend, flyers notifying residents of the incident were placed in each apartment door. This event took place several blocks from the campus, while the vehicle theft took place on campus property. A shooting is a more serious incident than auto theft, but the fact that students were not informed of serious criminal activity at their place of residence is not acceptable.
My personal encounter with crime on campus began when I went to my car, a Jeep Cherokee, on Sunday afternoon. I had not used it the previous day, and had last been at the vehicle early Friday evening. I opened my door to a scene of chaos. My passenger-side window had been smashed in. Glass littered the interior of the vehicle. The side of the steering column had been brutally smashed and exposed wiring suggested an attempt to hot-wire the vehicle. My stereo, speakers, and CDs all remained. Whoever did this wasn't attempting to steal a few dollars worth of audio equipment - he/she was after the whole vehicle.
Early Saturday morning, Lower Merion Police apprehended a suspect for stealing a vehicle from the Merion Gardens parking lot. The initial incident report filed by the police included two vehicles: the vehicle that was stolen and one other vehicle that was damaged. Both of these vehicles were Jeeps. I drive a Jeep and park in the Merion Gardens lot. Had I known of the events that transpired that night, I might have been concerned, but I knew nothing of them.
The details of the theft were not made readily available to any of the Merion Gardens residents. Security neglected to make information regarding a crime in our apartment complex available to the affected community. When two students were shot over the same weekend, flyers notifying residents of the incident were placed in each apartment door. This event took place several blocks from the campus, while the vehicle theft took place on campus property. A shooting is a more serious incident than auto theft, but the fact that students were not informed of serious criminal activity at their place of residence is not acceptable.
My personal encounter with crime on campus began when I went to my car, a Jeep Cherokee, on Sunday afternoon. I had not used it the previous day, and had last been at the vehicle early Friday evening. I opened my door to a scene of chaos. My passenger-side window had been smashed in. Glass littered the interior of the vehicle. The side of the steering column had been brutally smashed and exposed wiring suggested an attempt to hot-wire the vehicle. My stereo, speakers, and CDs all remained. Whoever did this wasn't attempting to steal a few dollars worth of audio equipment - he/she was after the whole vehicle.
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