On October 25, 2013, The LSU Police Department sent out an e-text alerting the LSU community of a shooting on W. Roosevelt Street near Edward Gay Apartments. W. Roosevelt Street isn’t on LSU’s campus, so why was LSUPD involved?
LSUPD Capt. Cory Lalonde describes their jurisdiction as “in some ways, more restricted, and in other ways, more expansive.” Simply put, LSUPD’s basic jurisdiction covers LSU property and adjacent streets. Running a red light on Nicholson or vandalism of Hilltop Arboretum is fair game for an LSUPD arrest. If a crime happens on campus and the suspect leaves, LSUPD’s jurisdiction can extend across the entire state.
Though campus is their priority, LSUPD frequently works with the Baton Rouge Police Department. BRPD officers patrol four districts, with the Second District covering the LSU area. If crimes happen on nearby streets, such as Chimes Street, sometimes LSUPD can get to the scene more quickly than BRPD. If contacted, LSUPD protocol is to respond to the crime while also contacting BRPD. Lalonde stressed when someone is in danger, public safety comes before jurisdiction.
Baton Rouge crime has worsened in recent years as thefts and assaults fill LSUPD files. In 2012, the Baton Rouge Business Report named LSU the ninth most dangerous campus in the United States. The ranking averages the number of reported crimes on campus and the size of the student body. For a campus of nearly 30,000 students, there was an average of 26 violent crimes and 474 property thefts per year between 2008 and 2011.
With a large student population and high crime in the area, LSU has an overwhelming responsibility to accurately report crime data. Last semester, students received e-texts and emails concerning a robbery on State Street, which is not technically on the LSU campus. In addition to releasing a daily crime log on its website, the police department also informs The Daily Reveille of crimes. When sending out urgent broadcasts, LSUPD has a “constant battle to weigh timelines and accuracy,” Lalonde says. They are wary of the possibility the public will become complacent with their communication, so LSUPD won’t be flooding students’ inboxes anytime soon.
This only scratches the surface of the crime information LSUPD publicizes. Campus police compiles and publicly releases all crime reports as mandated by the Cleary Act, a federal act that requires colleges and universities accepting federal financial aid to report all crimes that happen on or near campus. LSU releases its crime information in the LSU Annual Security Report. The report includes “on-campus” crime statistics for the past three years. “On campus” includes “certain off-campus buildings owned or controlled by LSU, on public property within or immediately adjacent to LSU and or accessible from the campus.”
The numbers are not always a fair indication of the severity of criminal activity. Of 22 robberies, more than half were cell phone thefts, Lalonde said. Another misrepresentation is the reporting of on-campus and residential crimes. Residential statistics are a subset of on-campus stats, but citizens have misunderstood this and double-counted crimes.
Another issue facing crime transparency is underreporting. With the stigma associated with sexual assaults and the prevalence of date rape, sexual assault victims may not notify campus police because of embarrassment or confusion. Sexual assault is not restricted to an attack by an unknown person while on campus at night. A more realistic scenario takes place at bars or parties where, through intoxication and social ease, a perpetrator can easily take advantage of a victim. LSUPD offers help to any sexual assault victim, but they need the consent of the victim to further the investigation. The matter is also complicated when there are no third party witnesses, which is often the case with sexual assault. Alcohol, which affects memory and motor functions, is involved in most reported cases. LSUPD officers encourage victims to seek help from health professionals, if not law enforcement. If victims do go to campus police, officials assure they will investigate the crime. Lalonde clarified that there is no particular crime that is drastically underreported, but he knows the statistics are not perfect.
Some victims are not discouraged by the reporting but by the follow-up. Mass communication sophomore Brooke Hotard described two vastly different encounters with LSUPD officers. In the first, in which the bumper of her car was tampered with, Hotard said an LSUPD officer suggested she didn’t need to file a report. Since there were no cameras or eyewitnesses nearby, there was scarce evidence of the criminal. Hotard insisted on filing a report, but received no follow-up.
The second incident involved someone keying her car in front of Acadian Hall. This time, Hotard said the police officer seemed passionate about her case, taking photos and criticizing the previous cop who suggested she not file a report. However, she did not receive a follow-up for this case, either. Though she said she appreciates the first officer’s honesty, she would feel “at ease if I got one phone call saying there was nothing on the cameras.” Hotard said she does not know LSUPD protocol in these situations, and if she experiences yet another auto crime, she may not report it at all.
“I know for me, if something happened, I won’t waste my time with the outcome,” she said.
The likelihood of solving a crime can affect LSUPD’s treatment of the case. Sophomore digital art major Cameron Briggs, a victim of phone theft, described LSUPD officers as “thorough and understanding” in their investigation and the department as “well-organized.” Briggs, who confronted the criminals in the Hart Lot, found out he was the third in a string of four campus thefts that evening. Without a phone, he called the police from West Campus Apartments, and an officer met him within two minutes. Briggs filled out paperwork, gave descriptions of the attackers and helped to identify them in a lineup. When Briggs explained he was focused on the assailant’s gun rather than his face and couldn’t identify him, the police explained that it was a common occurrence in such situations. The police investigation eventually led to an arrest, aided by Briggs’ testimony. Briggs agreed there was a difference in the officers who handled his case, with the first being “cut and dry” and the second making “an effort to talk.” Briggs considered not reporting his crime but felt differently after his experience.
“After I reported it, I realized how much my personal input was useful,” he said. “Everyone’s encounter with a crime is different, and anything you can contribute to an investigation is important.”
LSU provides services to protect and educate students about the realities of campus crime. In addition to releasing crime information, LSUPD encourages students to report crimes they see with the “See Something Say Something” campaign. LSU Student Health encourages victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes to seek counseling services. The Cleary Act offers an idea of what crimes happen, but keeping up with crimes by checking the LSUPD website and interactive map give a better idea of what crimes are happening where. Lalonde noted that of about 34,000 people in the LSU community, nearly 30,000 have registered for LSUPD texts.
When not covering crimes, LSUPD serves the public in unexpected ways. In the fall of 2013, they began the Adopt-A-Hall campaign, which pairs an officer to an on-campus residential community. Lalonde said he wants to expand this program while maintaining public openness to “bridge the proverbial gap between law enforcement and the public.”