For some, summer is seen as a time of rest and relaxation. For the LSU Police Department, it is an opportunity to be a stronger presence on campus while preparing for the busier semesters.
LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said while the summer semester means fewer people on campus, the number of police officers available does not waver.
“The only thing that changes are our arrest percentages and number of calls received, because we have less people on campus to commit crimes,” Lalonde said.
The smaller volume of calls during the summer allows LSUPD to be more proactive on campus. The officers patrol the campus more often during the summer, keeping an eye out for suspicious figures.
LSUPD also plans more training sessions during the summer season to strengthen its knowledge on handling specific situations on campus. While training, the police officers also speak at freshman orientations and answers questions from parents. Lalonde said the summer is different than the regular semesters, but not slower.
Once the spring sports like baseball come to an end, officers focus more on planning for events, such as the upcoming football season.
“Football is the University’s largest event,” Lalonde said. “As soon as last football season started, we were already planning for this upcoming season.”
Lalonde said LSUPD is aware of the issues people have had exiting campus after game days and is working with other agencies to fix the problems using new contraflow methods.
Lalonde said the department relies heavily on the LSU community to call and report strange occurrences on campus.
LSUPD started the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign in January 2011. In the first year of the program, the police department averaged 14,000 to 15,000 calls for service, including officer-initiated events, medical emergencies and community calls. In 2012, the number of calls increased to between 18,000 and 19,000 calls for service, and in 2013, LSUPD received almost 23,000 calls.
Lalonde said reports of even small crimes can make a difference. He explained that one crime may give LSUPD the DNA needed to catch a suspected serial criminal.
“If we’re seeing a spike in crime in a certain area, we’ll send more patrol to that area without sacrificing the safety of the rest of the campus,” Lalonde said.
LSUPD receives significantly fewer calls for service and makes fewer arrests during the summer semesters, but there is still a focus on campus safety.
“Students, faculty, staff, tourists and anyone else who comes onto our campus are our responsibility, and we do everything we can to protect them, no matter what semester it is,” Lalonde said.