Banned, forbidden, restrained – these words are familiar to people who have remained at the University after being told to leave.
Since January, LSUPD has made eight arrests for remaining after being forbidden. In 2011, 23 arrests occurred, compared to 33 arrests in 2010.
Joseph Boyle, a 62-year-old from 755 Napoleon Drive, was arrested for remaining after being forbidden on March 28 and again April 9. Prior to both arrests, Boyle had been banned from the University.
His first offense occurred at the Student Union, where he was found with a glass tube and hypodermic needle used for smoking crack. The other incident happened at CC’s in Middleton Library, where Boyle was observed tampering with a locked refrigerator.
Boyle was charged and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for both incidents.
Any person who isn’t affiliated with the University can be banned, according to Capt. Cory Lalonde, LSU Police Department spokesperson. Individuals are banned in the event of an on-campus arrest, he said.
“It comes and goes in spurts,” Lalonde said. “Over the years, we have had periods where subjects were habitual offenders. It isn’t a continuous problem.”
Banishments can also occur in some instances without arrest. For example, in the event of a physical altercation, the individuals may be banned even if they aren’t arrested, Lalonde said.
“It is on a case-by-case basis,” Lalonde said. “It is up to the discretion of the officer.”
But LSUPD doesn’t forbid current students, faculty and staff from being on campus.
“We can’t ban students or faculty while they are at the University,” Lalonde said.
But certain areas of campus, like residence halls, can be restricted depending on the incident.
One example is if a student has an altercation in a residence hall, Lalonde said. Officers may decide to ban the individual from that specific hall.
Lalonde said even though LSU is a public university, there is a statute that states “no person shall without authority go into … or remain in … any structure … or immovable property, which belongs to another, including public buildings and structures.”
“The University’s public buildings are not exempt from this law,” Lalonde said. “Individuals shouldn’t return once they are forbidden from being on campus.”
The consequences for remaining after being forbidden vary upon offense. Individuals can be fined up to $500 or imprisoned for up to six months, or both.
Lalonde noted that driving through the main roads on campus, such as Highland Road, isn’t taken into account when being forbidden.
“Some streets within the interior of campus would be a different situation than the main thoroughfares,” Lalonde said.
He said usually individuals need to physically be on the campus grounds to be considered remaining after being forbidden.
Lalonde advised for students, faculty and employees to report any suspicious behavior on campus. He said there isn’t a way for employees to know if someone is banned from campus, but if they see anything suspicious, they need to report it to LSUPD.
“Most of the time when we get calls from students or faculty, it is simply, ‘hey, this person looks suspicious,'” Lalonde said. “Once identified, we can find out whether or not the individual is banned or not.”
Lalonde added if students and faculty see something, they need to say something, as a part of LSUPD’s ongoing campaign created to raise public awareness of criminal activity.
 
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Contact Lauren Duhon at [email protected]